Sultan also urged Muslims to “use the month of Ramadan to pray against the insecurity ravaging some parts of the country.
By Kehinde Okeowo
The Sultan of Sokoto, Sultan Sa’ad Abubakar III, has declared Wednesday, 18 February 2026, as the first day of the commencement of the Ramadan fast—a period during which Muslims around the world observe fasting as one of the five pillars of Islam.
This was disclosed on Tuesday night in a statement released to journalists by the Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Religious Affairs, Professor Sambo Wali Junaid.
According to him, the Sultan noted that the crescent moon was sighted in almost every part of the country on Tuesday, the 29th day of the month of Sha’aban, signifying that Wednesday, 18 February, is the first day of Ramadan 1447.
“Reports of the sighting of the moon were received from various locations across the country,” Junaid said.
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The statement added that the Sultan “called on the entire Muslim community in the country to commence the fast on Wednesday in accordance with the teachings of Islam.”
Junaid further noted: “His Eminence, the Sultan, felicitates with the Nigerian Muslim Ummah and wishes them Allah’s guidance and blessings.”
The Sultan, in the statement, “urged Muslims to use the month of Ramadan to pray against the insecurity ravaging some parts of the country.”
He also called on them to use the month to continue praying for the leaders and for an end to insecurity in the country.
Ramadan is a sacred month in Islam during which Muslims fast from dawn to sunset, engage in prayers, and carry out acts of charity and devotion.
