Get Guardian on Google…Former Speaker cites security gains, urges sustained support for President
…Mutfwang highlights growing reconciliation across ethnic, religious divides on Plateau
Elder statesman and former Minister of Defence, General Theophilus Danjuma (rtd.), on Thursday led a high-powered delegation of political leaders from the Northeast and North-Central geopolitical zones to the Presidential Villa, Abuja, in a fresh push to mobilise regional support for President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The delegation, comprising serving governors, ministers, former lawmakers and leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC), pledged to strengthen political mobilisation across their respective communities, citing improvements in security and the administration’s development interventions.
The meeting also provided an opportunity to discuss political cooperation, security and other challenges confronting communities across the two regions.
Those in the delegation included Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang; his Taraba counterpart, Agbu Kefas; former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (rtd.); and APC National Chairman, Professor Nentanwe Yilwatda.
Speaking with journalists after the meeting with President Tinubu, Dogara said the delegation was at the State House to demonstrate solidarity with the President and discuss strategies for consolidating political support for his administration ahead of the next general elections.
He said the leaders were determined to contribute to mobilising support for the President, whom he credited with making significant contributions to the development of their communities.
“We’re all here to show solidarity to Mr President and then, in the spirit of the season, which you know 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.
“That is basically the reason why we’re here,” the former Speaker said.
Dogara also expressed satisfaction with what he described as remarkable improvements in the country’s security situation, particularly in areas previously plagued by insurgency, banditry and kidnapping.
Although he acknowledged that pockets of security challenges persisted, he maintained that sustained government interventions had significantly reduced the frequency and severity of attacks in several troubled areas.
He cited the Abuja-Kaduna corridor as a notable example, recalling the period when travellers faced persistent threats, including kidnappings and the attack on a moving passenger train.
According to him, the improvement in security along the route represents a significant departure from the situation in previous years.
“The issues relating to insecurity that accentuated over time, we have noticed that there is remarkable decline in these issues.
“Of course, there are pockets of crisis in some places, short of declaring victory, but there has been remarkable improvement.
“To travel from here to Kaduna, everybody knows what it was. At a point, they even brought down a moving train, but right now, some of those crises are not there,” he said.
The former Speaker attributed part of the progress to the strategic placement of competent Nigerians in key government positions, particularly individuals familiar with the security challenges confronting their respective communities.
He expressed optimism that sustained commitment to ongoing interventions would consolidate the gains and deliver lasting peace.
“We believe that through some strategic placement of our sons and daughters within the government, they have shown remarkable leadership in dealing with these challenges.
“We believe that if these efforts are sustained going forward, we will arrive at a place where most of us will be very, very comfortable,” Dogara added.
On his part, Governor Mutfwang said political and community leaders in Plateau State were making considerable progress in rebuilding trust and promoting reconciliation among communities previously divided along ethnic and religious lines.
He said sustained engagements among leaders were gradually translating into greater cooperation at the grassroots, with young people increasingly taking responsibility for promoting peaceful coexistence.
“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.
“Once people begin to see that kind of cohesion among leaders, it inspires them. It cascades down, and so this is what we are doing at the moment,” the governor said.
Mutfwang explained that political leaders in the state were deliberately demonstrating unity through regular engagements and consistent appeals for peaceful coexistence, stressing that leadership cohesion was essential to rebuilding confidence among communities.
He disclosed that youth leaders from different ethnic and religious backgrounds were beginning to initiate dialogue independently, without necessarily waiting for government intervention.
“I believe that for us on the Plateau, those of us who are in the front lines of leadership are trying to demonstrate that by being seen together, by saying the same things, urging people to unite, to come together.
“People are taking responsibility, 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 stated.
Describing the development as encouraging, the governor expressed confidence that sustained dialogue, cooperation and responsible leadership would help overcome longstanding divisions and secure a more stable future for the state.
“This is quite encouraging to me that there is light at the end of the tunnel, and by the grace of God, we will continue to sustain these initiatives.
“Hopefully, a lot of the things that have happened in the past will become stories of the past, and we will be able to build a better, stable and prosperous future,” Mutfwang said.
