Governor-elect promised to return Plateau IDPs to ancestral homes

Plateau governor-elect, Caleb Mutfwang, has promised to work with other leaders to return persons displaced by violent attacks to their ancestral homes.

Mr Mutfwang made the promise in Jos during the 2023 Nzem Berom celebration, the cultural day of the Berom people.

As of March 2023, there are 57,899 internally displaced persons scattered around camps in the state, per an International Organisation for Migration.

“By the grace of God, I will work together with other leaders to ensure that our people that are displaced from their villages are returned to their ancestral land,” the governor-elect said.

He prayed for an end to the renewed killings in Plateau to enable citizens to enjoy the dividends of democracy.

The governor-elect praised the Berom people for their resilience and commitment towards the rebuilding of Plateau, urging them not to relent as it was for the greater good of the state.

“I am glad that today, other ethnic nationalities on the Plateau are gathered in solidarity with the Berom nation. This is the direction we must go as people of Plateau from May 29,” he said.

Mr Mutfwang stated that his administration would focus on uniting Plateau and ensuring that cultural festivals were developed and packaged for the state to regain its name as a home of peace and tourism.

Earlier, Bauchi State governor, Bala Mohammed, had described the Berom people as hospitable and accommodating, promising to collaborate with the incoming governor to bring development to Plateau.

Mr Mohammed expressed confidence that the incoming governor would surpass the expectations of Plateau people, given his competent leadership qualities over the years.

Similarly, Senator representing Plateau North, Istifanus Gyang, stated that the Berom economy had undergone phases and stages of metamorphosis from the pre-colonial era, which was widely regimented and characterised by farming, hunting, and animal husbandry, among others.