Mutfwang tasks religious leaders on promoting peaceful coexistence

Gov. Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau has tasked religious leaders on promoting peaceful coexistence in the state.

The governor made the call when a delegation of Catholic Bishops in the Dioceses in Plateau paid him a courtesy visit on Tuesday at the Government House, Jos.

According to him, the church plays a critical role in uniting Plateau people for the peaceful coexistence required to shore up its development.

He described unity as crucial in lasting solutions to the continuous attacks in the state where many lives were lost and communities displaced.

“If there is any agent that must play the key role in uniting Plateau, it is the church.

“I believe that the more we de- emphasise our differences, and look at the things that we have in common, the more we can be able to unite our people.

“And I have said it countless times, that our strategy for fencing off the enemies of Plateau is that we must be united as a people

“By the grace of God, we came on board with a resolution to run an all inclusive government on the basis of equity, fairness and justice,” he said.

He said that his administration was determined in changing the narrative in Plateau and bringing dividends of democracy which would be beneficial to all irrespective of tribe or faith.

He described the security challenges in Plateau as a case of invasion, banditry and dispossession of land, and appealed for criminals to desist from acts which deflect attention from addressing the major issues.

“And in order for us to isolate the bandits, we ourselves must not give room to be accused.

“We, therefore, call on our church leaders and community leaders to use your good offices to ensure that we deter people from trying to blur the issues by engaging in criminality”, he said.

According to him, his administration was passionate about education but unfortunately met tertiary institutions in dire need of financial intervention, saying two each require ₦0.5 billion to survive.

He said that visitation panels had been set to visit the state’s tertiary institutions with the view of addressing their challenges.

Earlier in his remarks, the leader of the delegation, Most Rev. Philip Dung said that the visit was to pray for him for the wherewithal to be a good steward for Plateau people.

He stressed the importance of quality education especially in the current digital age, and urged the governor to continue with efforts of the immediate past administration of returning some primary schools back to their original owners.

“We encourage your administration to ensure the smooth takeover of these schools, and the return of the remaining schools,” he said.

The cleric urged the governor to find lasting solutions to the attacks in the state and implored him to ensure a better equipped and motivated personnels to discharge their constitutional duties of protecting the people and Plateau territory.

He added that government should seek ways to end land grabbing in many communities in Plateau, saying that the return of the land to owners would build the confidence in people on the peace initiatives of the government.