President Bola Tinubu and Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang have been called upon to do all they can to end the insecurity in the state and the country.
The call was made in Jos, the Plateau State capital, at a joint world press conference by the Plateau Peace Practitioners Network (PPPN) and the Para-Mallam Peace Foundation.
At the press conference, high-tech engagement, such as drones and kinetic and non-kinetic approaches to tackling insecurity, was advocated.
Again, it was noted that there was a need to celebrate the triumph of peace and appreciate state and non-state actors for advancing peace in Plateau State and Nigeria, as well as at Yuletide and New Year celebrations.
President of the Para-Mallam Peace Foundation (TP-MPF), Revd Dr Gideon Para-Mallam, while speaking at the event, said as we have entered the New Year, we must renew our commitment to safeguarding the gains we have achieved and encourage all citizens to serve as ambassadors of peace in their homes, workplaces, and communities.
He urged the citizens to work together to ensure that Plateau State remains a beacon of hope and a model for peaceful coexistence in Nigeria and beyond.
While we celebrate these achievements, we recognise that peace is a continuous process requiring sustained efforts. Peacebuilding is a long journey. It is not a sprint but a marathon.
Therefore, we call on State and Federal Governments to continue to invest in peace education, provide employment for our youth and develop physical and social infrastructures.
We urge the federal and state governments to invest heavily in technology through high-tech drones to effectively secure our communities by enhancing early warming, early response, and early presence to deter those bent on promoting chase.
He further called on the Federal Government to scale up the adoption of both kinetic and non-kinetic approaches in an inclusive way to stem violence all over Nigeria, stressing that this is particularly essential to address food terrorism, which threatens food security.
We urge support for state police founded on a community policing framework structured under the village, local government and state authorities. This is critical in ensuring that our communities are not overrun by those who attack innocent citizens at will and vanish into thin air.
This calls for a community defence-mechanism strategy that should be strengthened in Plateau State and all over Nigeria.
The peaceful Christmas and New Year of 2024 proves peace is possible and sustainable in Plateau State. We must continue to affirm our shared and common humanity to sustain this legacy of peace,“ he said.
On his part, the PN President, Nanmak D Bali, said for over two decades, Plateau State has grappled with intractable conflict and recurring crises, including bomb blasts in the cities across the state and violent attacks in the communities, especially during sacred, festive seasons.
According to him, these experiences have strained the communal bonds, disrupted livelihoods and social cohesion, and tarnished the state‘s reputation as the home of peace and tourism.
However, Christmas 2024 and New Year ushered in a new dawn, and a positive narrative emerged. We witness this new reality, which heralds a significant shift in the Plateau story.
As we navigated the festive season 2024, there was a remarkable improvement in the security landscape across the entire State. Both young and old, Christians and Muslims, families and friends celebrated without fear.
This remarkable transformation is neither accidental nor coincidental but the product of intentional, deliberate, coordinated, and sustained efforts by state and non-state actors,“ he said.
In effect, both groups expressed their deepest gratitude to the Plateau State Government, under the leadership of Caleb Mutfwang, for prioritising peacebuilding and promoting peaceful co-existence as a cornerstone of governance in the state.
Equally, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was given special thanks for quietly and effectively working to end insecurity in Nigeria.