Buhari to constitute c’ttee on communal clashes

President Muhammadu Buhari has commenced consultations for an inclusive stakeholder committee that will thoroughly interrogate issues that fuel communal conflicts across the country.

Presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu, said the committee will be charged with a mandate to proffer lasting solutions to age-long disagreements that have claimed lives and property.

With particular focus on the Tiv/Jukun relationship in Benue and Taraba states, he said the President was disturbed by communal clashes that have destroyed many lives and property, altered the destinies of families, and raised the profile of insecurity in the country by promoting generational tensions.

The committee, which will work with the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, will include traditional rulers, religious bodies, (specifically the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs), age groups, market/farmer/hunters associations, local and state government officials, and relevant security agencies.

He said President Buhari believes that Nigeria’s cultural diversity remains her greatest strength when properly harnessed and harmonized with a collective vision for unity, peace and shared prosperity.

He called for more patience as the government identifies and works towards creating more understanding.