Northern christians urge Tinubu to resettle displaced persons in Benue, Plateau, Borno
Northern Christian leaders have appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently intervene in the resettlement of displaced persons in Benue, Plateau, and Borno States, who are in camps within and outside the country years after violent attacks forced them out of their ancestral homes.
The appeal was made in Jos, Plateau State, during a historic audience with the President, in what the clerics described as a renewed opportunity to draw attention to the plight of displaced communities in Northern Nigeria.
The Christian leaders were in Jos to attend the funeral of Mama Lydia Yilwata, mother of Prof. Nentawe Yilwata, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Speaking on behalf of the Christian leaders, Rev. Dr Amos M. Mohzo, President of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) and Chairman of the Heads of Denominational Leaders on the Plateau, CAN lamented that more than 200,000 people from Gwoza in Borno State are still languishing in refugee camps in Cameroon and Chad.
According to him, “We humbly appeal to you, Mr President, to help bring them back home. In the same vein, we are calling for a lifeline for displaced communities in Plateau and Benue States. Rebuilding their livelihoods and housing will reposition them for meaningful life and productivity.”
He lauded the President’s efforts in strengthening national security and supporting the call for state police and stressed the need for resettling displaced families as it remains essential for peace and stability in the North.
Mohzo also expressed gratitude for the President’s commitment to inclusivity in governance, citing key appointments of Northern Christians such as Senator George Akume as Secretary to the Government of the Federation, General Christopher Musa as Chief of Defence Staff, and Prof. Nentawe Yilwata as National Chairman of the APC.
He further appealed to President Tinubu to broaden the inclusion of Christians in his cabinet and in other key positions of authority in the country.
Speaking with newsmen shortly after the meeting, Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Northern Nigeria, Rev Joseph John Hayab, reinforced the clerics’ appeal, stressing the urgent need for the President to prioritise resettlement and reconstruction as a means of restoring the dignity of displaced families.
Hayab, who led the Northern CAN delegation, urged President Tinubu to establish a Special Presidential Reconstruction Initiative targeted at rebuilding homes, restoring livelihoods, and providing social infrastructure for displaced persons who, he said, have suffered untold hardship for too long.
He said, “Our people cannot continue to live in camps when their ancestral homes have been taken over. We are appealing to Mr President to act with urgency so that these Nigerians can return home and live meaningful lives again.”
Hayab stressed the commitment of Northern Christian leaders to peace and national unity, assuring the President of their support for people-oriented policies that will benefit not only the North but the country as a whole.
According to him, CAN would continue to serve as a moral voice of conscience, holding government accountable, speaking truth to power with understanding, and advocating for policies that uphold justice and humanity.
The clerics also used the occasion to commiserate with Prof. Yilwata, the Ngas nation, and the entire people of Plateau State, praying that God grants them the fortitude to bear the loss.
