President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has mourned the death of the Emir of Gumel, Alhaji Dr Ahmed Muhammad Sani II, CON, describing the late monarch as a towering traditional leader whose contributions to peace, development and national unity would be greatly missed.
The Emir died on Thursday, September 3, 2026, in Cairo, Egypt.
In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu extended his condolences to the immediate family of the late monarch, the Gumel Emirate Council, the Government and people of Jigawa State, and the entire traditional institution in Nigeria.
The President described the death of the Emir as the end of a remarkable and historic era.
Alhaji Ahmed Muhammad Sani II ascended the throne on December 16, 1980, and ruled for nearly 46 years as the 16th Emir of Gumel, making him one of Nigeria’s longest-serving and most respected first-class traditional rulers.
Tinubu celebrated the late Emir as a distinguished scholar, administrator and statesman whose contributions extended far beyond the walls of the palace.
Before ascending the throne, the monarch had a notable career in public service, serving with the Gumel Native Authority, the Nigeria Immigration Service and as a senior official at the Kazaure Divisional Office.
Between 1978 and 1980, he served as Commissioner for Information, Internal Affairs and Culture in the old Kano State.
During his tenure, he was credited with spearheading the establishment of the Triumph Newspaper and CTV 67, now known as ARTV, while also supervising the expansion of Radio Kano.
President Tinubu said the institutions established and developed during that period had remained important pillars of public information in Northern Nigeria.
The President said that as Emir, Alhaji Sani II transformed Gumel into “a model of peace and development.”
“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,” Tinubu said.
The President also praised the late monarch’s leadership role in Jigawa State, describing him as a stabilising figure 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,” the President said.
Tinubu said Nigeria had lost a highly respected traditional ruler whose wisdom and counsel would be sorely missed.
“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,” he said.
The President prayed for Allah’s mercy upon the late Emir and asked God to grant him Al-Jannah Firdaus.
He also prayed that the royal family, the Gumel Emirate and the people of Jigawa State would be granted the strength to bear what he described as an irreplaceable loss.
