President Bola Tinubu has urged leaders from Plateau State to return home with renewed commitment to peace, warning that continued violence must be brought to a permanent end.
The President spoke on Wednesday during an interactive session with a 32-member delegation led by Governor Caleb Mutfwang at the State House, Abuja.
“No protocols, no hindrances, we are here to speak our minds and find a permanent solution to a recurring conflict and chaos,” Tinubu said. “I have heard the leaders. Everybody here is seeking peace. How do we chart our path to that peace?”
He urged stakeholders to prioritise tolerance and coexistence among residents of the state.
“Let us first of all accept one resolution – tolerance for every inhabitant. If people are being recruited to provoke anger, conflict and killings, it is you, the leaders, that should first of all examine yourselves,” he added.
Tinubu also enjoined the governor to embed justice, fairness and inclusion in governance.
“Everyone in the state must have a sense of belonging and participate in peace-building efforts,” he said, stressing the need for integration of all ethnic groups.
The President directed the delegation to revisit past White Papers on security crises and come up with practical, implementable solutions.
“As leaders, you must go back home, summon a leadership meeting among yourselves, take the gazette, review the previous recommendations and agree to implement the White Paper. Bring to my attention any knotty issue that may arise,” he said.
He warned that failure to act decisively would continue to create humanitarian consequences.
“To stop creating orphans, widows and widowers, there must be enduring peace in the state,” the President said.
At the meeting, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Mohammed Dorro, announced that the federal government had approved N2 billion for victims of the March 29 attack in Angwa Rukuba, Jos North.
In his remarks, Governor Mutfwang thanked the President for his intervention and pledged the commitment of leaders in the state to support peace initiatives.
“Our coming here today shows that there is a renewed spirit on the plateau; that we want to be together,” he said. “We are determined more than ever to close all our gaps, ensure that we rise above all the divides of religion and ethnicity, and build a state we can all be proud of.”
He added that it was the first time all former governors of the state had gathered for such a meeting, describing it as a sign of unity.
“Having gathered this momentum, we want to assure you, by God’s grace, that we will build on it to tell a better story in the years to come,” Mutfwang said.
The governor also pledged support for the President’s broader national agenda.
“By God’s grace, we know that you are with us, and we want to assure you that we are also with you. In your journey to salvage Nigeria, we are in this together,” he said.
Also speaking, the Gbong Gwon Jos, Da Jacob Gyang Buba, commended Tinubu’s leadership and called for additional security measures.
He said, “We appeal for more troops to be deployed and for the installation of CCTV cameras as earlier promised,” adding that state police would help address insecurity.
The royal father also urged intervention to enable internally displaced persons to return to their communities, especially with the onset of the rainy season, and commended the First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, for her support to victims.
Other members of the delegation stressed the need for sincerity in the peace process, warning that without genuine commitment, lasting peace would remain elusive.
Representatives of Christian and Muslim youths pledged to work together to support peace efforts, while a member of the House of Representatives, Idris Wase, called for strict enforcement of the rule of law.
“Criminals must be made to answer for their actions,” Wase said, noting that drug abuse was contributing to insecurity in the state.
The meeting followed Tinubu’s earlier visit to Plateau after recent violence and brought together political, traditional and religious leaders, including former governors Simon Lalong, Jonah Jang and Joshua Dariye