A Fulani leader in Miango, Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State, Mohammed Mato, has called for deeper love, understanding and tolerance among young people in the state, as those are the only ingredients that can foster unity and peace in the state.
Mato, who was one of the key speakers at a one-day workshop organised by the Miango Youth Development Association (MYDA) on Saturday in Jos, said the conflicts in Bassa and the state in general were beyond farmer-herder clashes as being peddled in some quarters.
The workshop, which had the theme “Building a Community Based Approach to Peace Through Early Warning and the Social Media,” drew participants and stakeholders across different ethnic and religious groups, as well as community leaders.
While speaking on the theme, Mato insisted that regular dialogue among youths would further curb the wave of violence and insecurity spreading across the state.
He stressed that if youths in the state, irrespective of their ethnic and religious leanings, make an effort to unite and imbibe the culture of tolerance, a large portion of the security challenges in the state will be minimized.
The Fulani community leader, who wondered how hatred for one another had taken the centre stage in Plateau, said that the Fulani and natives in Miango used to live peacefully in the past.
“If the youths can come together, sit down and talk to themselves, I think things will return to normal,” he said.
“In my younger days, we played, ate and attended the same primary school with my Irigwe friends. We slept in their homes and nothing happened. But today, the story is different and I really don’t know what went wrong.
“Today, we kill ourselves and destroy each other’s properties without a second thought; lack of love, tolerance and understanding abound. So, I’m calling on both the Fulani and the Irigwe people, particularly the youths, let’s sit together and talk to ourselves on the need for lasting peace,” he said.
Mato also called on the youths to take advantage of modern technology and western knowledge to promote peaceful coexistence in their communities.
