Governor Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir of Bauchi State on Monday inaugurated a 32-man committee to restore peace in the Bogoro and Tafawa-Baleawa local government areas of the State.
The inauguration was held at the executive council chambers of the State Government House. The Governor emphasised the urgent need to consolidate the peace achieved over the past six years, which has recently come under threat from divisive elements exploiting farmer-herder tensions.
“We will not allow anyone, no matter how highly placed, to scuttle the serenity and harmony we have attained,” the Governor declared. “This Committee will serve as a moral compass and a bridge for dialogue, understanding, and unity.”
The Committee is co-chaired by Imam Fa’izu Ado Musa and Reverend Father Benson Bature and includes 30 other religious leaders from the Bogoro and Tafawa-Baleawa local government areas, representatives of security agencies, and officials from the respective local governments.
The governor said that the mandate of the Committee is to conduct sustained sensitisation campaigns on peaceful coexistence, mediate disputes and foster intergroup dialogue, and promote interfaith understanding and religious values of love and forgiveness.
Other mandates include mobilising communities through religious platforms for peacebuilding and reporting critical incidents beyond their scope to relevant authorities.
Governor Mohammed reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to supporting the Committee’s work and announced plans for a broader societal reorientation programme to further instil values of tolerance and civic responsibility.
The governor urged the Co-Chairmen and their 30 committee members to work hand in hand with each other to bring peace in the Bogoro and Tafawa-Baleawa local government areas of the State.
In their remarks, the co-chairmen of the committee, Imam Faizu Ado and Reverend Father Benson Bature, expressed gratitude to the governor for entrusting them with such a critical assignment.
The Co-Chairmen pledged to work tirelessly by engaging all communities in Bogoro and Tafawa-Baleawa LGAs. Adding that they will focus on fostering dialogue, building bridges of trust, and strengthening peaceful coexistence across all divides.
According to them said that “With government backing, the forum is expected to become a model of interfaith collaboration that other parts of the country can emulate, particularly in areas with histories of tension and mistrust.”
They assured the people that the forum will leave no community behind in the sensitisation process, promising to partner with youth, women, traditional rulers, and civil society groups in the drive to secure lasting peace.
