Sultan of Sokoto in Ghana

Accra, Jan. 9, GNA- Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama on Wednesday conferred with the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa'ad Abubakar III, a prominent Muslim religious leader in Accra, where they expressed the need for religious harmony in society.

The Sultan, who leads over 80 million Muslims in Nigeria and West Africa, said as the Chairman of his country's inter-religious body, comprising members of his faith and Christians, one of his priorities was to promote religious co-existence.

Alhaji Abubakar, who is the 20th Sultan of the time-tested religious dynasty, is in Ghana to attend a two-day World Justice Project, being organised by American Bar Association to aid the over 40 participants to promote the rule of law and the welfare of people in their various countries.

He asked for God's blessing for leaders of Africa to hold the Continent together to promote peace and development. The Sultan congratulated organisers of the Ghana 2008 African Cup of Nations and expressed the hope that it would be one of the best football events of the Continent.

On a humorous note, he said, although he wished Ghana well, he was sure Nigeria would carry the day.

Alhaji Abubakar, an ex-soldier was his country's Defence Advisor to ECOWAS and in Pakistan, with oversight responsibility in Iran, the Middle East and the Gulf States. He was installed Sultan in November 2006, after the tragic death of his predecessor in a plane crash. Vice President Mahama harped the need for religious harmony in the West Africa in Africa and asked the Sultan to use his high office to pursue the objective.

"We are all worshipping one God with different approaches, so I see no need for religious conflicts," he said. Vice President Mahama expressed satisfaction that Nigerian entrepreneurs are investing in finance and other sectors of the Ghana's economy and called for more collaboration.