Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga is the President, North Central Muslim Peace Initiative with headquarters in Jos.
He is also a youth mobiliser creating understanding among the diverse ethno-religious groups in Plateau State.
In this interview, he explains how their peace initiatives are yielding results in communities.
You are into peace initiatives and youth mobilisation/ empowerment in Plateau communities. Why?
I am motivated by the simple reason that there ought to be peaceful coexistence in the society because it is vital to human progress.
As a Plateau indigene, I grew up to meet peaceful coexistence and good neighbourliness among the different ethno-religious groups until violence began in 2001 in the state, which brought division and mistrust.
It resulted in backwardness in all sectors. So, in my quest to bring back the peace I grew to know on the Plateau, I got engaged in many peace initiatives, youth mobilisation/empowerment and educational support.
How are all these yielding results?
We have been recording tremendous successes in all fronts. For instance, I am based in Bukuru in Gyel District of Jos South Local Government Area, from where I operate and reach out to other communities in the state.
And for those who know Bukuru very well, it is one of the places that ethno-religious clashes in Jos are always intense.
There are sizeable numbers of Christians and Muslims, as well as Beroms and Hausas. Any crisis in Jos, which got to Bukuru took a more explosive dimension.
But for some years now all that has changed as a result of our peace initiatives and youth mobilisation. We often call our youths to order whenever there is tension and we stop any crisis before it begins. Sometimes, rumours can trigger a crisis, so we always caution our youths against spreading rumours.
Today, I can tell you that there is more understanding, tolerance and peaceful coexistence among the different ethno-religious groups in Jos South. From time to time, I liaise with traditional and religious leaders and different youth leaders on how to maintain and boost the peace we are currently enjoying.
I also work with other peace groups across various communities in the state. Again, I work hand-in-hand with the Plateau State Peace Building Agency, which is doing tremendous work to restore back sustainable peace in the state.
You also run Zazzaga Educational Foundation. What is it about?
It is an education foundation where we facilitate and support orphans and vulnerable children mostly affected by the Plateau crises to further their education.
We partner with private universities in this respect. In January last year, the first batch of the 200 orphans and vulnerable children from the different parts of Plateau State departed to Benin Republic to study in Ecole Superieure Sainte Felicite University, Cotonou.
The students were selected from the 17 local government areas after applying for the scholarship through an online platform.
Others too have left for Iscom University in the same Benin Republic a few weeks back to commence their study. To further domesticate our educational support for the less privileged, I was at Madonna University in Okija, Anambra State, and I met with the University management to work out a partnership with them. We are still negotiating with them.
Education is power, light and the key to a secure and assured future. If the vulnerable groups and our youths are educated, it will make their lives better, they will have a sound living and they won’t be always agitated and violent.
