President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has extended his condolences to the family of the Emir of Gumel, the Gumel Emirate Council, the government and people of Jigawa State, and Nigeria’s traditional institutions following the death of His Royal Highness, Alhaji Dr Ahmed Muhammad Sani II, CON.
In a condolence message signed on Thursday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu described the Emir’s passing as the end of a remarkable and historic era.
The President noted that the institutions remain pillars of public information in Northern Nigeria.
Reflecting on the Emir’s nearly five decades on the throne, President Tinubu said Alhaji Sani II transformed Gumel into a model of peace and development.
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“He was a father to all, a beacon of wisdom, and a custodian of culture who devoted his long reign to promoting education, Islamic scholarship, unity among diverse communities, and the preservation of the rich heritage of one of the oldest Emirates in Northern Nigeria,” the President said.
President Tinubu also acknowledged the late Emir’s role in maintaining stability in Jigawa State through decades of political and security transitions.
“In the state of Jigawa, his calm, conservative and inclusive leadership provided stability through decades of political and security transitions. He was an unfailing partner for peace-building and community development, always placing the welfare of his people above all else,” he said.
The President described the late monarch as a towering traditional leader whose counsel would be greatly missed, particularly as the country continues to rely on the moral authority of traditional institutions to strengthen national cohesion.
“Nigeria has lost a towering traditional leader whose wise counsel will be sorely missed at a time when the nation continues to draw on the moral authority of traditional institutions to strengthen national cohesion,” President Tinubu said.
President Tinubu prayed Almighty Allah to forgive the shortcomings of the late Emir, accept his noble deeds and grant him Al-Jannah Firdaus.
He also prayed for Allah to grant the royal family, the Gumel Emirate and the people of Jigawa State the fortitude to bear the loss.
Before ascending the throne, the Emir had a career in public service, serving with the Gumel Native Authority, the Nigeria Immigration Service and as a senior official at the Kazaure Divisional Office.
Alhaji Sani II, who ascended the throne on December 16, 1980, was the 16th Emir of Gumel and one of Nigeria’s longest-serving and most respected first-class traditional rulers.
President Tinubu celebrated the late monarch as a distinguished scholar, administrator and statesman whose contributions to national development extended beyond the traditional institution.
Between 1978 and 1980, he served as Commissioner for Information, Internal Affairs and Culture in the old Kano State, where he spearheaded the establishment of the Triumph Newspaper and CTV 67, now ARTV, as well as supervised the expansion of Radio Kano.
The Emir died on Thursday, September 3, 2026, in Cairo, Egypt, after nearly 46 years on the throne.
