As heir to the 200-year-old throne of West Africa's 19th-century Caliphate Empire, Abubakar is one of the most influential traditional rulers in the region.
Four years after he was appointed (Sultan) of Sokoto, he reigns at a time of deepening religious division in Nigeria, a nation almost evenly divided between Muslims and Christians.
Africa's most populous nation, with (150 million) people, has been struggling with a rise in Islamic fundamentalism and continued violence between the Muslim north and Christian south of the country.
Thousands of people have been killed in religious-related (violence) since Nigeria gained independence in 1960. But Abubakar, who had a long career in the army before becoming sultan, says the fighting that's rocked Nigeria goes beyond religion.
"There could be some few cases of religious (crisis) in some places but most of the crises we have in this country are not religious -- they are politically motivated," he says.
While Abubakar acknowledges that there is a small (minority) of extremists, he says that they don't represent the majority of peaceful Muslims.
