We will ensure safe return of your displaced relatives, Bauchi Gov tells Dogara’s kinsmen

TRACKING ___Bauchi state governor, Bala Mohammed has assured kinsmen of former Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara of the safe return of their displaced relatives who fled their communities as a result of communal clashes.

The governor said this Tuesday when officials of a coalition of Christian Association of Nigeria and Council of Ulamas from Bogoro and Tafawa Balewa local government areas visited him at the Government House, Bauchi.

He emphasized the need for peaceful coexistence among the communities of the two areas irrespective of their differences for effective execution of his administration’s laudable projects.

“Today is a very historic moment for me. Your coming here together is part the solutions to the problems affecting your communities. I am so happy that our Muslims and Christians in Tafawa Balewa and Bogoro have now come together in peace to proffer solutions to the numerous problems confronting the area with a view to finding a long lasting solution for posterity and consolidation of their communities.

“We will engage all relevant stakeholders to resolve the issues amicably without any bias, but I want you as religious leaders to sensitize our youths to desist from engaging or allowing themselves to be used for violence,” the governor said.

The religious leaders who spoke separately, said the communities of the areas have agreed to live peacefully despite their differences in religion or tribe.

According to them, the formation of the coalition was a deliberate attempt to compliment the efforts of Mohammed’s administration in the promotion of peace across the state.

The religious leaders appealed to the governor to look into their challenges with a view to resolving them so they could benefit from his administration’s desire to providing citizens with critical infrastructure.

In a related development, ethnic groups from Yakubu Dogara’s constituency in Dass, Tafawa Balewa and Bogoro local government councils have countered allegations of low performance of Governor Bala Mohammed’s administration while alleging that the former speaker’s defection from People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to All Progressives Congress (APC) is destabilizing peace in the state.

The group was reacting to allegations of another group which had alleged that the government of Bala Mohammed performed low in the first year of his administration.

Chairman of the group, Dabs Dabo Yakubu expressed dismay over how social media platforms were being floated with news of accusation and counter-accusations capable of igniting another unhealthy political competition among two great sons of Bauchi state.

He further counselled the two politicians to work for the development of Bauchi state despite their political affiliations.