JOS — Breaking his silence on previous controversies surrounding his security visits to the state, President Bola Tinubu has promised to rebuild Plateau communities devastated by violence and facilitate the immediate return of all displaced residents.
Speaking on Saturday at the All Progressives Congress presidential campaign rally in Jos, the President addressed the backlash from his April trip—where logistical constraints restricted his interactions to an airport meeting rather than the hinterlands. Acknowledging the profound grief and horror etched on the faces of citizens following deadly assaults such as the March 29 attack on the Angwan Rukuba community, Tinubu asked residents for forgiveness and confirmed that he had reviewed detailed devastation reports from Governor Caleb Mutfwang.
“When I last visited the other time, I was limited to the airport. Forgive me if you didn’t see me in the hinterland, but I saw the devastation. I got the report from the governor. I saw horror in the faces of our people,” Tinubu stated. Reassuring the crowd, he declared that the federal government is shifting from grief to reconstruction, noting that security agencies have been explicitly directed to take decisive action to sustain lasting peace.
“We will rebuild your communities, and we will bring you back to your community. I have directed all the security agencies to take decisive action and sustain peace and stability on the Plateau,” he added.
The presidential pledge comes against the backdrop of recurring violent clashes across local government areas such as Bokkos, Barkin Ladi, Riyom, Mangu, and Bassa, which have severely disrupted farming livelihoods and displaced thousands. During his address, Tinubu leveraged the moment to preach communal harmony, drawing an analogy of a shared household to urge ethnic and religious tolerance among Nigerians.
“We are one single family created by the same God Almighty. We are just living in different rooms, speaking different languages and behaving any way we want,” the President told the cheering crowd. “Living in different rooms and speaking different languages does not make us enemies of one another. We have to live together. We have to farm together”.
