President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday urged political, traditional and community leaders from Plateau State to return home with renewed commitment to peace, stressing the need to permanently end the cycle of violence in the state.
Tinubu, who made the call during an interactive session with a 32-man delegation from Plateau State at the State House, Abuja, also directed stakeholders to review past White Papers on security crises and submit workable solutions for federal consideration.
The President, according to a statement by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said, “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, “We all must find a way to accommodate one another. We must stop the situation where people are recruited to instigate tribal conflict and killings. I am glad that I listened to the youth.”
Tinubu, who said the meeting was convened in fulfilment of his promise during his visit to Plateau after the March 29 violence in Angwan Rukuba, warned that peace would remain elusive without collective responsibility.
“No protocols, no hindrances, we are here to speak our minds and find a permanent solution to a recurring conflict and chaos. I have heard the leaders. Everybody here is seeking peace. How do we chart our path to that peace?” he asked.
He directed the delegation, led by Governor Caleb Mutfwang, to “go back home, summon a leadership meeting among yourselves, take the gazette, review the previous recommendations and agree to implement the White Paper.”
Tinubu further stated that his administration remained committed to the development of Plateau State, urging leaders to identify and expose those fueling violence.
“To stop creating orphans, widows and widowers, there must be an enduring peace in the state,” he said.
At the meeting, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Mohammed Dorro, announced the approval of N2bn relief support for victims of the March 29 attack in Angwa Rukuba, Jos.
Speaker after speaker, including youth representatives, identified indigene-settler tensions, religion, ethnicity and farmer-herder clashes as key drivers of violence in the state, pledging commitment to lasting peace.
Governor Mutfwang, in his remarks, thanked the President for his intervention, noting that the meeting marked a turning point in Plateau’s peace process.
“Our coming here today shows that there is a renewed spirit on the Plateau; that we want to be together,” he said.
He added, “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.”
Also speaking, the Gbong Gwom Jos, Da Jacob Gyang Buba, commended Tinubu’s leadership and called for increased security deployment, installation of CCTV cameras and the establishment of state police.
He also appealed for the return of internally displaced persons to their ancestral homes ahead of the rainy season.
Members of the delegation, including former governors, traditional rulers and youth representatives, expressed support for renewed peace efforts, while former Deputy Speaker Idris Wase stressed the need for strict enforcement of the rule of law, linking insecurity partly to drug abuse.
The delegation also pledged to work with the state government to ensure sustained peace in Plateau State.
