President Bola Tinubu led his campaign trail to Jos on Saturday, apologizing to residents displaced by recurring violence in Plateau State for his previous failure to visit their communities.
Delivering a message of hope and restoration, the President pledged to rebuild the affected areas and facilitate the safe return of displaced citizens.
Addressing supporters at the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign rally, Tinubu asked residents for forgiveness over his absence during his April trip to the state.
He acknowledged that his prior visit had been limited to the airport, noting that he had since reviewed the devastation caused by the attacks and received comprehensive briefings from Governor Caleb Mutfwang.
Tinubu told the crowds: “When I last visited the other time, I was limited to the airport. Forgive me if you didn’t see me in the hinterland, but I saw the devastation. I got the report from the governor. I saw horror in the faces of our people.”
The President said the state had since made progress towards rebuilding and urged residents to work together to achieve lasting peace.
“But since then, that has changed. We are forging together. It is now that we can rebuild and I assure those displaced that we will rebuild your communities.
“We will rebuild your communities, and we will bring you back to your community. I have directed all the security agencies to take decisive action and sustain peace and stability on the Plateau,” PerSecondNews quotes the president as declaring.
He also called on residents to put aside their differences and embrace unity, stressing that ethnic and linguistic differences should not make them enemies.
“We are one single family created by the same God Almighty. We are just living in different rooms, speaking different languages and behaving any way we want.
“But living in different rooms and speaking different languages does not make us enemies of one another. We have to live together. We have to farm together.
“We have to build this Plateau and this country together. It is our responsibility to tie our horns, behave as brothers and sisters, belonging to the same God Almighty,” Tinubu said.
According to President Tinubu, 1,000 forest guards are currently being trained to help secure life and property in the state.
“ You will feel and see them. You’ll feel secure in your villages and communities. The surveillance cameras I promised you during my last visit are already procured. It will further strengthen early detection and early warning security operations.”
He said all the security agencies have been directed to “take decisive action and sustain peace and stability on the Plateau.”
“What we should be getting is prosperity, not havoc, not crisis. Our government is not elected to inflict wounds on one another or to bury people. We have to lift people up from adversity to prosperity.”
The President’s remarks came about seven months after his April visit to Plateau following the March 29 attack on Angwan Rukuba community in Jos North Local Government Area, where at least 27 people were killed.
During that visit, Tinubu met victims’ families, community leaders, traditional rulers and other stakeholders at a facility near the Yakubu Gowon Airport in Heipang but did not travel into Jos or visit the affected community.
Also addressing the rally, Vice President Kashim Shettima defended the administration’s economic policies, stressing that President Tinubu inherited an economy on the verge of collapse in May 2023 but chose to confront the crisis through far-reaching reforms rather than blame his predecessor, the late President Muhammadu Buhari.
Shettima praised Tinubu’s loyalty and leadership maturity, noting that the President willingly accepted both the assets and liabilities of the previous administration instead of seeking political excuses.
“I respect him fundamentally for one thing. A lot of leaders, on assuming the mantle of leadership, will have two options: either to continue to kick the ball or heap blame on their predecessors.
” But for President Tinubu, he assumed the mantle of leadership and, according to him, he has to take over the assets and liabilities of his predecessor,” Shettima said.
“And no matter how much respect he has for you, woe betide anyone who criticises late President Muhammadu Buhari in his presence.”
The Vice President said Tinubu’s tough policy decisions prevented a total national economic disaster.
“When President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was sworn in as the President of this country, our economy was teetering on the verge of collapse. We were on the road to Caracas.
“He had the courage and conviction to take far-reaching decisions that have saved the economy from collapse. He is indeed a transformational leader, and I believe posterity will be kind to him.”
Characterizing the current era as a defining moment in Nigeria’s development, Shettima stated that the nation is fortunate to have a leader willing to confront its challenges head-on rather than shy away from them.
Quoting former American military commander General Douglas MacArthur, Shettima noted that true leadership requires the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to address the needs of the people.
He added that President Bola Tinubu has demonstrated these traits in his governance, particularly by taking responsibility for inherited economic difficulties.
“For our great nation, Nigeria, we are fighting through an epochal moment, and in this epochal moment, God blessed us with a leader who had the courage and conviction to take far-reaching decisions to save the nation from an abyss,” he said.
He said Plateau had contributed immensely to Nigeria’s political development through the quality of leaders it had produced and should consequently occupy a more prominent position in the country’s political affairs.
He mentioned figures such as General Yakubu Gowon, General John Shagaya, Lieutenant General Jeremiah Useni, and Chief Solomon Lar—Shettima urged residents not to remain on the periphery of Nigerian politics.
Pointing to the strategic appointments of Plateau indigenes such as APC National Chairman Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda and Humanitarian Affairs Minister Dr. Bernard Doro, alongside federal initiatives like the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), the Vice President implored voters to consolidate their political relevance by backing the APC in 2027.
“I urge you, I beseech you, I implore you, as your kinsman, come January 16 next year, I want you to rally round our great leader, our uniting leader, and also vote for the APC,” Shettima appealed, urging support for President Tinubu, Governor Mutfwang, and all APC legislative candidates.
Plateau Governor Caleb Mutfwang commended President Bola Tinubu’s administration, stating that its policies have successfully moved Nigeria’s economy from critical condition into recovery.
Delivering his welcome address at the All Progressives Congress (APC) North-Central presidential campaign rally in Jos, Mutfwang noted that Plateau State is mobilizing to deliver significant voter support for Tinubu in the February 2027 general election.
While acknowledging ongoing national difficulties, the governor argued that the President’s policy interventions have stabilized the country and placed it on a trajectory toward economic growth.
“I know that there are challenges, but we have told our people, when you met Nigeria, you met Nigeria in the intensive care unit,” Mutfwang told party supporters and stakeholders.
“And through the policies you have administered, you have been able to bring Nigeria out of the intensive care unit. And now we are in the recovery room. We are confident that if you continue, we will not only recover, but we will prosper as well.”
Mutfwang also highlighted Jos’s historical significance in Nigeria’s democratic development, recalling that the city hosted the party conventions that produced the late MKO Abiola ahead of the June 12, 1993 election, and former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999.
He expressed optimism that the North-Central geopolitical zone would once again play a decisive role in shaping the country’s political direction.
“We are determined that this election come 2027, there is no alternative for us,” Mutfwang stated.
“Even though the opposition has been trying to create the wrong impression, I want to assure you that we on the Plateau have decided, by the grace of God, that for the 2027 election, for us, it is doable or nothing.”
He acknowledged federal government’s impact on the state in the last three and a half years citing President Tinubu approval of key road projects including the Akwanga–Jos and Jos–Shendam corridors—as well as over N11 billion disbursed to students in Plateau tertiary institutions through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).