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Governors of
Plateau State’s neighbouring states will soon converge in Jos, the
capital of Plateau State, for an on-the-spot assessment of the causes
of the persistent ethno-religious conflicts in the area, with a view to
finding a lasting solution to it.

This resolution was
part of an agreement reached at a meeting of the Solomon Lar-led
Presidential Panel on Jos Crisis and the northern governors at the
Presidential Villa, Abuja on Tuesday.

The Acting
President, Goodluck Jonathan, presided over the meeting; governors and
deputy governors from Bauchi, Jigawa, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Taraba, Kano,
Adamawa and Plateau States were in attendance.

Plateau State governor, Jonah Jang, reacted to the proposed tour of his state by his other colleagues:

“The northern
governors, in their last meeting, agreed that they will visit me in Jos
and we will sit down and look at the problems affecting the northern
states and Plateau to ensure that we get to the roots of these crises.

“It is Plateau
today, it could be somewhere else again. I don’t pray so. But it is
good that we sit down. Until we have peace in the north, it will be
difficult for investors to come and do business. Nobody will like to
come and set up a business and tomorrow, it will be set on fire.”

He said he expects
that when the governors meet, they will tell each other home truths as
leaders who have sworn to defend the constitution of the nation.

Pariah to investors

The governor argued
that the entire northern part of the country could become a pariah to
investors if there is continued unrest in the region, and that this
would further diminish its development fortunes. “Besides, the peace of
Plateau is the peace of the entire north,” he emphasised.

Mr. Lar, who was a
former governor of the state, also said the meeting is very important
because “the character and the nature of the problem have taken a new
dimension in the sense that those who are affected don’t live in one
place. They are all over the neighbouring states and when the
neighbouring governors have discussed with us, we will go back and take
the necessary action to implement what we have discussed.”

The date for the meeting is to be conveyed to the respective governors.