Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong on Monday inaugurated a 36 man Inter-religious council to help foster peaceful co-existence in the state.
The Council is also directed to support the Peace Building Agency in the state.
The essence of the council is to help find a lasting solution to renewed herder-farmers clashes in some parts of the State.
There have been renewed attackd nf killings in the state of recent. Only last week Sunday night in Bassa , there were reports of killing in attacks and reprisals.
The gpvernor assured that he had dorecyd the security operatives to go after perpetrators.
“I have already directed security agencies to go after those behind the acts and bring them to justice. This must stop.”
Speaking while inaugurating the 36 members committee in Jos, Lalong charged them to promote the culture of interfaith dialogue as a viable mechanism for peaceful co-existence, understanding and religious tolerance in Plateau state.
He urged them to work with different faith communities and other organizations that operates across faith lines to expand respect for religious pluralism and freedom of religion or belief in Plateau state.
“We must work closely with relevant agencies of government to improve social cohesion as well as promote the agenda of Peace on the Plateau through healing, forgiveness and reconciliation.
“As a State emerging from the ashes of violence, our Rescue Administration decided to set aside February 7 of every year as Forgiveness Day. This day reminds us to imbibe and promote the culture of forgiveness as enunciated in the Holy Books. The cardinal objective of this day is to achieve enduring peace and harmony as opposed to hate, bitterness, resentment and vengeance which only leads to a vicious cycle of violence.
“When we first commemorated the Forgiveness day in 2019, I submitted that if we imbibed forgiveness, it will eclipse and bury all the wrongs of the past and move us to a new dawn by restoring confidence in our future and ensuring that generations unborn do not repeat our mistakes.”
“Let me reiterate that the idea behind the Forgiveness Day is for us to reflect on where we have been; the human tragedy that befell us; the need to appreciate our present situation; and our resolve to craft the kind of a peaceful and secure society we desire.
Lalong further said that his administration understands that many of the people have been hurt and could have also caused pain for others. Many cannot seem to erase the hurt from their mental hard drive and continue to harbour bitterness, resentment, and anger.
“The choice before us is to either continue in our anger thus spending the rest of our lives in pain and bitterness, or we can choose to be released, healed, and be set free. That is where forgiveness becomes inevitable.”
