Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State has said that government would sustain its effort on the relative peace currently being enjoyed in the state.
Lalong also said his government would encourage institutions with ideas that would contribute significantly to the peace building process.
He said this at the weekend during a mini-cultural festival, in Jos, funded by the European Union (EU), organised to sensitise herdsmen and farmers for a peaceful co-existence.
Speaking through the Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Mr. Peter J. Mwankon, Lalong said that for development to thrive
there must be peace, adding that for peace to be entrenched in the hinterlands, traditional institutions must also be strong to play their part as the custodian of the people’s culture.
However, the immediate past Secretary of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders’ Association, Alh. Saleh Bayeri, said that “seeing people from different tribes here shows that people are regretting the crisis that had happened in the past. This simply means we are looking forward to live as brothers and sisters. We hope that this event would help to educate us on the need to live in peace and harmony.”
Meanwhile the Country Director Search For Common Ground Rarendra Mwlmi, said that people should not allowed their differences to divide them because they needed each other to live, emphasising that the differences that existed among mankind is very vital because it made people colourful.