Yakubu Busari
A group of Plateau renowned professionals in different fields of human endeavor across the five continents of the world that came together to promote peaceful coexistence amongst Muslims and Christians called J-Town Ambassadors has advocated for constant interaction with community youth leaders, identified areas of conflict, an early sign of misunderstanding, Peacebuilding process, poverty deduction and skills acquisition’s or trading that keep them off the streets.
Arc Suleiman Umar described Jos the capital of Plateau state as a unique city with a lot of talents that have not been harness, growing here in Jos is one of the most peaceful states in Nigeria, You can trek to all the length and breadth of the city in the 80s celebrate Sallah and Christmas together but what surprises us now is Christian or Muslim doesn’t dear cross each other boundaries.
He said community leaders used to be very powerful but nowadays no one regards them again as important people. In Nigeria no artist would say he or she didn’t have a foundation here in Jos, the missionary schools contributed a lot in bringing local and international players of high repute so is very sad that the potential we all enjoyed our children can’t be proud of it again.
We do not have issues of ethnic, tribal differences here both Hausa, Fulani, Igbo, Yoruba, and South-South who grew up in Jos are still calling themselves J-Town boys because there is that love and understanding including the serene environment.
According to him, religion didn’t play any role in Jos as of then we all live together as members of one family and Jos is the only place in the North that is broken English is used as lingua Franca,”we hope that we should realize that nothing different between us.
Suleiman advised that our major challenge here is that we allow politicians to be using us and disrupting the academic calendar while their children are busy learning outside Nigeria, they give us weapons to fight ourselves, killed each other yet they focus their attention on amassing wealth.
Many politicians in Nigeria don’t have the interest in improving the well-being of our vulnerable rural communities every aspect of the country is on the verge of collapsing.
He added that you are being used again yourself to promote selfish agenda that would enrich them and their immediate family to the detriment of our common good.
Dr. Prince Charles Dickson in his own condemned the incessant attacks in Plateau state said the state is blessed apart from a serene environment, there are no fruits or foods that can’t be grown here so the land is unique.
He explains further growing up in Plateau state, the people are accommodative in nature, they open their arms to welcome strangers, but he frowned at the use of religion to foment trouble.
Dickson’s stressed that the rich people don’t want suffering if go to their residents they don’t discriminate against each other and their children grew up to love one another, which creates hatred for one another.
The poor people allow stain blood of innocent blood in hands, the rich class are not mindful of religion so we should create an awareness campaign to deal with division amongst us, he said.
Some of the participants urged the government to shut down drinking places in the morning and it should be open in the evening because some of these miscreants hide in a beer parlor to drink later move to where they attack.
Some said they’re blaming the media for inadequate coverage to actually report what really happened in Jos.
Abubakar Suleiman advised that Plateau residents should emulate their community corner soldier where both Muslims and Christians are more united they focus on the area of peacebuilding.
