Why We Met Tinubu – Middle Belt Leaders

Leaders from the Middle Belt region have explained the reasons behind their meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, saying the visit was aimed at expressing solidarity with the President, discussing challenges facing their communities and mobilising support for his administration.

The leaders also discussed the security situation in the region, efforts to promote peaceful coexistence and the need to sustain development initiatives.

Speaking to State House correspondents after the meeting, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, said the visit was an opportunity to demonstrate support for Tinubu and discuss ways of addressing issues affecting the Middle Belt.

He said, “We are here to show solidarity to Mr President and, in the spirit of the season, which is all about politicking, to discuss matters that affect our community and how we can best help in mobilising support for the President, who has done so much for our community.”

On the security situation, Dogara acknowledged that some areas were still experiencing pockets of crises but maintained that there had been a remarkable decline in insecurity.

He recalled the security challenges that previously made travelling between Abuja and Kaduna difficult, noting that the situation had improved.

“Of course, there are pockets of crisis in some places. We are short of declaring victory, but there has been remarkable improvement in these issues,” he said.

Dogara attributed some of the progress to strategic appointments of people from the region into government, saying they had demonstrated leadership in addressing the challenges.

He expressed hope that sustained efforts would further improve security and bring lasting peace to communities across the region.

Also speaking, Plateau State Governor, Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang, said leaders in the state were working to rebuild trust, promote understanding and strengthen unity among communities divided along religious and ethnic lines.

According to him, the coming together of leaders at different levels would encourage residents to embrace peaceful coexistence and take responsibility for rebuilding their communities.

“We are making tremendous progress trying to make sure that leaders come together at various levels to rebuild the broken walls of trust, to rebuild understanding,” Mutfwang said.

The governor noted that leaders were deliberately demonstrating unity by appearing together and consistently urging residents to put aside their differences and work together.

He further disclosed that young people across religious and ethnic divides were beginning to initiate conversations aimed at promoting understanding and reconciliation without necessarily waiting for government support.

“Even among the youths, we are seeing a new vista in that direction where youth leaders across the divides of faith and ethnicity are beginning to have conversations without even government support,” he said.

Mutfwang described the development as encouraging, expressing optimism that sustained reconciliation efforts would help ensure that past conflicts become stories of the past.

Those present at the meeting included President Tinubu; Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa; Plateau State Governor, Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang; Taraba State Governor, Agbu Kefas; former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; General T.Y. Danjuma; General Ishaya Bamaiyi; businessman Thomas Etuh; and Dr Poju Bitrus.