Reconciliation and Sustainable Peace Is My Focus For Plateau North-Gyang

By Pam Moses.

Deputy Chairman Senate Committee on Defence and Senator representing Plateau North in the National Assembly, Barr. Istifanus Gyang said that lives and properties cannot be secured in Plateau with arms but through reconciliation and sustainable peace.

Sen. Gyang disclosed this on Monday when Muslim Ummah in Plateau North Senatorial District consists of Barkin-Ladi, Jos North, Jos South, Bassa, Jos East and Riyom Local Government Areas of the state paid him a courtesy visit in his residence in Rayfield, Jos.

He assured the people that the mandate that was given to him will be maximized for genuine reconciliation between various ethnic groups and the Hausa-Fulani.

“This mandate that you have given me, I will ensure that we pursue peace and security; reconcile the people of Plateau North. We need to reconcile with ourselves, we have fought ourselves in the past, we have done things that are not good before God and before ourselves.

“In this reconciliation, it is for us to say God, we have sinned against You, we are seeking for forgiveness and then seek for forgiveness from ourselves. I want to say to the Plateau North community particularly the Hausa-Fulani that on behalf of other tribes in Plateau North, I am asking you for forgiveness.

“Where ever all these ethnic groups have wronged you, I am asking you for forgiveness. I will also go to them and tell them that the Hausa-Fulani of Jos came to me and asked for forgiveness of whatever wrong they have done you.

“We want to secure the people through peace, you can’t secure people through arms, you can’t secure people through bow and arrows, you can only secure people through peace and reconciliation.”

Sen. Gyang applauded President Muhammadu Buhari for taking a drastic step towards boosting Universal Basic Education in the country where he deducted from source through Paris debt refund the counterparts funds of state that were unable to pay.

“Earlier this year, President Muhammadu Buhari took a decision concerning States Government that were unable to pay their counterparts funding to Universal Basic Education and Plateau State was unable to pay N4.5 billion.

“But when there was refund to states on Paris debt refund, the President said the states that were unable to pay the counterparts funds, he will deduct their money from source to pay for their respective states.

“With the N4.5 billion for Plateau, the Federal Government will also add N4.5 billion, therefore, the money that is coming to Plateau State is almost N9 billion and that money started coming in since June.”

Sen. Gyang said members of the National Assembly from the state will monitor the utilization of such funds and ensure that it is used for the purposes of boosting education from the grass root.

According to him the best way to empower a people is giving them quality education, saying this he demonstrated that while he was in the House of Representatives when he donated over 300 text books to an Islamiyya school in Barkin Ladi.