by 
Sa’ad Abubakar lll, the sultan of Sokoto, has asked the upper chamber of the national assembly to reject the bill seeking equality for male and female children in the sharing of inherited family wealth or property.
The bill also proposes that a widow should be entitled to the custody of her children unless it is contrary to the interests and welfare of the children.
It also says a widow should have the right to remarry any man of her choice and should have the right to a fair share in the inheritance of her late husband’s property, and the right to live in her matrimonial home.
But speaking at the closing ceremony of the 20th Zamfara State Annual Qur’anic Recitation Competition, Abubakar said the bill was against Islamic religion and, therefore, unacceptable to Muslims.
“Our religion is our total way of life; therefore, we will not accept any move to change what Allah permitted us to do,” he said.
“Islam is a peaceful religion; we have been living peacefully with Christians and followers of other religions in this country. Therefore, we should be allowed to perform our religion effectively.”
The monarch appealed to the red chamber not to consider the bill because of its religious implications.
He also hailed the federal government and Nigerian army for the capture of Sambisa forest from Boko Haram insurgents, describing it as historic.
“We are happy to hear this good news; we are, therefore, calling on the Nigerian army not to relent in its efforts in fighting the activities of Boko Haram,” he said.
He called on Muslims to continue to pray for peaceful coexistence in the country, advising them to cooperate with all the tiers of government to move the country forward.