Insecurity in Nigeria Is an Elite-Created problem— Governor Mutfwang
Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State has called Nigeria’s ongoing insecurity as an issue caused and perpetuated by the country’s elite.
Mutfwang, speaking at a stakeholder gathering titled ‘Dialogue on Community Policing as a Panacea for Insecurity in Nigeria: The Case of Plateau State’, stated that the elite have contributed to widening communal tensions and must accept responsibility for correcting this trend.
“My belief is that Nigeria’s security challenges are primarily the fault of the elite. We will continue to have this perpetual dilemma as long as the elite conspires to lead the public astray,” he stated.id.
He pointed out that, while “poisoning of minds” frequently begins at the community level, the elite have the potential to put an end to such narratives—if they so choose.
“Many times, even when mental poisoning begins in a society, when the elite take leadership and declare it must stop, they will confront it effectively, and it will end.
“But when the elite fan the embers of hate, they are the people who do their analysis, that begin to spew knowledge, information, and poison the minds of ordinary people—then it will be sustained,” he told me.
Mutfwang asked Nigeria’s elite to take more responsibility for promoting unity and peaceful coexistence.
He emphasised his administration’s resolve to removing “artificial barriers of faith and ethnicity,” which he claims have long stifled Plateau growth.
“As I stand before you today, I’d like to repeat that I entered office with a determined determination to restore long-term peace to Plateau. That is why I have made a concerted effort to bridge the religious and ethnic differences that have emerged,” he remarked.
ReflecReflecting on his achievements, the governor stated that no administration in Plateau had done more to promote peace and togetherness since Nigeria’s restoration to democracy in 1999. had done more than his part to promote peace and unity.
“Yet, as recently as yesterday, I got news of being branded by certain important groups. Despite this, he proudly claims that he has done more to promote peace and harmony on the Plateau than any other governor since 1999.
His statements come as Plateau, Benue, and other northern states have seen increased insecurity in recent months.