*Urge Him To Resettle All Displaced On Their Ancestral Lands
By Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
Saddened by the plight of persons displaced by terrorism-fuelled insecurity in Benue, Plateau, and Borno states, Christian leaders from the 19 Northern States and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have called on President Bola Tinubu to urgently intervene in resettling them.
The Christian leaders noted that many of the displaced remain in camps within and outside the country years after violent attacks forced them out of their ancestral homes.
The appeal was made weekend in Jos, the Plateau State capital, during a historic audience with the President, in what the clerics described as a renewed opportunity to draw attention to the plight of displaced communities in Northern Nigeria.
The Christian leaders were in Jos to attend the funeral of Mama Lydia Yilwatda, mother of National Chairman of ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Nentawe Yilwatda.
Speaking on behalf of the Christian leaders, president of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) and Chairman of the Heads of Denominational Leaders on the Plateau, Rev. (Dr.) Amos M. Mohzo, lamented that more than 200,000 people from Gwoza in Borno State are still languishing in refugee camps in Cameroon and Chad.
“We humbly appeal to you, Mr President, to help bring them back home. In the same vein, we are calling for a lifeline for displaced communities in Plateau and Benue States. Rebuilding their livelihoods and housing will reposition them for meaningful life and productivity,” Rev. Mohzo stated.
While commending the President’s efforts in strengthening national security and supporting the call for state police, the clerics emphasised that resettling displaced families remains essential for peace and stability in the North.
Rev. Mohzo also expressed gratitude for the President’s commitment to inclusivity in governance, citing key appointments of Northern Christians such as Senator George Akume as Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF); General Christopher Musa as Chief of Defence Staff (CDS); and Professor Yilwatda as APC National Chair.
He further appealed to President Tinubu to broaden the inclusion of Christians in his cabinet and in other key positions of authority.
Speaking with newsmen shortly after the meeting, Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the 19 Northern States and the FCT, Rev. Joseph John Hayab, reinforced the clerics’ appeal, stressing the urgent need for the President to prioritise resettlement and reconstruction as a means of restoring the dignity of displaced families.
Rev. Hayab, who led the Northern CAN delegation, urged President Tinubu to establish a Special Presidential Reconstruction Initiative (SPRI) targeted at rebuilding homes, restoring livelihoods, and providing social infrastructure for displaced persons who, he noted, had suffered untold hardship for too long.
“Our people cannot continue to live in camps when their ancestral homes have been taken over. We are appealing to Mr President to act with urgency so that these Nigerians can return home and live meaningful lives again,” Rev. Hayab said.
He reaffirmed the commitment of Northern Christian leaders to peace and national unity, while assuring the President of their support for people-oriented policies that would benefit not only the North but the country as a whole.
According to him, CAN will continue to serve as a moral voice of conscience, holding government accountable, speaking truth to power with understanding, and advocating for policies that uphold justice and humanity.
The clerics also used the occasion to commiserate with Professor Yilwatda, the Ngas ethnic group of Plateau State, and the entire people of the State, praying that God grants them the fortitude to bear the loss of Mama Yilwatda.
PHOTO CAPTION: Some of the refugees in Cameroun.
