The Chairman of Plateau State traditional rulers, Gbong Gwom Jos, Jocob Buba Gyang, said desperate politicians and elders were responsible for the prolonged crisis that had rocked almost every part of the state since 2001 where hundreds of people were reportedly killed.
Gbong Gwom noted that politics generally had not helped “our peaceful co-existance in the state and the country at large.”
He stated that politicians in the state often hide under the banner of religion and ethnicity to instigate crisis among people solely to achieve their surreptitious objectives, regretting that many youths were yet to realised that.
The paramount ruler disclosed this on Wednesday during the 2nd edition of Plateau Youth Summit on the update of criminal activities across operation Safe Haven Joint Operation Area, held at Hill Station Hotel, in Jos.
The youth summit is an annual event initiated by Operation Safe Haven (OPSH), for youths drawn from the 17 Local Government Areas of the state, on the need for them to preach peace and live with one another irrespective of any difference.
Gbong Gwom said “the elders that say youths are the leaders of tomorrow are the ones destroying your tomorrow. Our togetherness has been destroyed by same elders and politicians.”
He noted that in the past, “we share food and almost everything with Muslims. During Christmas, Muslims visit us and during Sallah festival we visit Muslims. I benefited from a Muslim without being converted to Islam.”
While appreciating OPSH for initiating the submit, Gyang further advocated for preaching strictly on Bible and Qur’an, saying allowing religious leaders to preach outside the texts of the two books often led to crisis.
