AS the 2019 general elections draw nearer, Christians and Muslims Youth Association in Bauchi State has called on stakeholders within Yelwa community of Bauchi metropolis to sheathe their swords and embrace peace in order to promote peaceful coexistence.
State Chairman of the Association, Mr Daniel Gambo gave the charge on Tuesday in Bauchi, during a visit to stakeholders meeting in the community saying that Yelwa community has been a flashpoint for religious and political clashes in the past, hence the need for the stakeholders in the state to join hands and address the challenge.
Daniel Gambo also said that some of the objectives of the association are to promote unity among members of the two religion, fight illiteracy and drug abuse, ensure good governance at local, state and federal levels as well as serve as a link with government agencies in the promotion of community development and youth empowerment.
He then warned youths within the community against propagating fake news through the internet, Facebook, Twitter and other social media channels, saying that such news was capable of overheating the polity.
“Whenever there is a tension in this area of the state, the kind of information we receive regarding the crisis is usually is quite exaggerating. So we urge people to avoid pelting the wrong information because it has the ability to invite more violence,” he said.
In his address, a former Chief of Staff to the immediate past Governor of Bauchi State, Tanko Yusuf Dutse commended the association for the initiative of fostering peace between people of the two religion in the community, saying that peace had returned to the area and everyone was now going about his legitimate business.
Tanko Yusuf Dutse who also served as a Commissioner in the former government recalled that he was once a member of a committee for reconciliation set up during the immediate past administration that was responsible for giving succour to people who were affected by the various crises that engulfed the area at that time.