18/07/2023
TRADITIONAL INSTITUTION KEY TO OUR PEACE AND UNITY -GOVERNOR MUTFWANG
The Executive Governor of Plateau State, His Excellency, Barr. Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang has described the traditional institution as extremely important to the entrenchment of peace and unity of the State.
Governor Mutfwang stated this on Monday when Plateau State Traditional Council of Chiefs and Emirs, led by the Gbong Gwom Jos, Da. Jacob Gyang Buba paid him a courtesy visit at the New Government House, Little Rayfield, Jos.
He applauded the First Class Chiefs for working assiduously for peace in their respective domains and urged them to put more effort into protecting their communities against any form of invasion.
"We have found it necessary that we must engage our people to let them know what is happening, to take suggestions from them on what to do. This will enable us to reverse this negative trend that has put us in the news lately for the wrong reasons. We want to thank you very sincerely Sir, and we pray for you individually that may God give you long life, May God give you good health, and may God continue to help you to earn the confidence of people in your chiefdom.
"We need leadership, and leadership in our chiefdoms and communities can only be provided by you, the traditional rulers. Therefore, I want to pray that God will continue to give you wisdom on how to manage our people. By the grace of God, we are doing the best we can to address the security challenge in Plateau, because it is a major distraction in efforts to get down to the business of governance.
"We didn't come to fight anybody. We came that we may develop Plateau and this is only a distraction to us. Let me call again on our leaders across faiths that this is the time to know genuine leaders. This is the time to know leaders that will rise and say no, we cannot continue to fight ourselves and destroy ourselves."
"I want to sincerely appreciate the Council of Chiefs and Emirs for the role you have been playing in your various Chiefdoms and the State as a whole in trying to preserve the peace and unity of the state and I want to urge you to do more.
"One thing that we must work on sincerely as a people is the need for us to be a united people, and the only way we can do this is to embrace each other. One key institution that will promote this unity is the Council of Chiefs and Emirs and you must work assiduously to promote peace and unity in the state".
"We have high regard for you as individual royal fathers and collectively as a Council. We know the roles that you have played in the past and therefore for us, we will always consider you as fathers in the land and we will always turn to you for counsel when it is necessary.
"We know that several of you have put in a very good number of years in public service and therefore you are also a repository of knowledge. From time to time, we will continue to turn to you to tap from those fountains to ensure that there is good governance in our state and that our people receive the dividends of this democratic dispensation."
Governor Mutfwang said his administration has not come to fight anyone but to add value to governance in the state.
He announced plans to convene a stakeholders meeting that will bring under one umbrella, traditional, religious, and community leaders to brainstorm on issues that will change the negative perception of the state.
The Chairman, Plateau State Traditional Council of Chiefs and Emirs, the Gbong Gwom Jos, His Majesty, Da. Jacob Gyang Buba who spoke earlier congratulated Governor Mutfwang on his recent victory at the polls and subsequent inauguration as the Executive Governor of the State.
He condoled with Governor Mutfwang and the People of Plateau State over the deteriorating security challenges confronting the state and urged him to remain focused and firm in providing purposely and credible leadership for the state.
The Gbong Gwom Jos applauded the measures so far taken by the Governor in addressing the current security challenge and prayed that the efforts he has put in will yield the desired results.
He pledged loyalty and support of the traditional institution in offering wise counsel to enable the state to bounce back to its glory as the "Home of Peace and Tourism".
While offering the blessings of the Traditional Council on the Governor, the Gbong Gwom prayed that his tenure will be fruitful to Plateau State.
Gyang Bere
Director of Press and Public Affairs to Executive Governor of Plateau State
17th July 2023.