Communal clashes: Buhari to set up stakeholders committee

The Presidency on Saturday said President Muhammadu Buhari has begun consultations for an inclusive stakeholder committee that will thoroughly interrogate issues that fuel communal conflicts across the country, with a mandate to proffering lasting solutions to age-long disagreements that have claimed lives and property.

A statement by Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media & Publicity) in Abuja said with particular focus on the Tiv/Jukun relationship in Benue and Taraba States, the President was disturbed by communal clashes that have destroyed many lives and property, altered the destinies of families, and raised the profile of insecurity in the country by promoting generational tensions.

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The statement said the committee will work with the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, noting that it will include traditional rulers, religious bodies, (specifically the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN and the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs), age groups, market/farmer/hunters associations, local and state government officials, and relevant security agencies.

It expressed the President believes that “Nigeria’s cultural diversity remains her greatest strength when properly harnessed and harmonized with a collective vision for unity, peace and shared prosperity, urging more patience as the government identifies and works towards creating more understanding.”