Governors visit Plateau, demand end to violence, promote lasting peace

Abdulrahman Addulrazaq, the Kwara state governor and chairman, Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) on Thursday led a delegation of the Forum to commiserate with the government and people of Plateau over the recent violence in some parts of the state.

While commiserating with the families of the victims in Jos, he also commended the interventions of the security agencies, which prevented further escalations.

Governor Abdulrazaq said: “On behalf of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and the people of our states, I bring you sincere words of condolences on the unfortunate events in which many of our compatriots have lost their lives.

“We call on leaders and influencers across all communities and sectors in Plateau to join His Excellency in the task of uniting the people and restoring sustainable peace. Leaders, including youth leaders, should come together to speak strongly against violence of any kind. We urge that we resolve our differences through dialogue, fair negotiations, mutual respect, and perspective taking.

“Sustainable development can be a mirage in an atmosphere of tension and violence. Plateau is full of potentials especially in agriculture and tourism. But these potentials could be affected negatively if we allow violence or threats of it to define how people see our communities.

“We commend His Excellency the Governor for his leadership at this critical moment. Our visit is to express our solidarity with His Excellency and the government and good people of Plateau State. We pray to God Almighty to repose the souls of the victims and restore peace to our communities.”

Responding, Caleb Mutfwang, the Plateau state governor appreciated them for the concern shown to the state, he said the entire state is mourning due to the devastation of the incidents.

However, governor Mutfwang said the attacks won’t stop his administration from ensuring restoration of lasting peace; “this recent happening took us by surprise, but we will not relent”.

Mutfwang, called on the federal government to secure the 36 states of Nigeria, stressing that what happened in Plateau state could occur in any part of Nigeria, hence the need to stand against insurgence.

Governors Abdulrazaq Abdulrahman, of Kwara state who is the chairman of the forum, Babagana Zulum of Borno state and Sheyi Abiodun Makinde of Oyo state were present.

Others were Hyacinth Alia of Benue state, Bala Mohammed of Bauchi state and Emmanuel Akabe, the deputy governor of Nasarawa state.

Nathaniel Gbaoron

Nathaniel E. Gbaoron is the Plateau State correspondent for BusinessDay and a seasoned journalist with a decade of experience covering sub-national affairs across Taraba, Adamawa, Nasarawa, Benue, Plateau, and other states. He holds both National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) in Mass Communication from Fidel Polytechnic, Gboko. Over the years, he has participated in numerous media trainings and workshops spanning various areas of reporting, strengthening his expertise in economic and political reporting, community-level governance, development stories, and conflict-sensitive journalism. He is a member of Correspondent Chapel in Plateau state, a member of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), he is also a Rotarian and a member of Plateau Club 1921.