From Yakubu Wuyep,Jos
Plateau State Governor, Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang, has called for renewed unity, mutual respect and collective leadership among the people of the Middle Belt, urging them to rally round their leaders and work together for the development of the region and Nigeria.
Mutfwang made the call while he joined other dignitaries for the thanksgiving service to honour the elder statesman, Boss Mustapha, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) on his 70th birthday in Yola, Adamawa State.
The Governor, who acknowledged the presence of Senator George Akume, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, who represented President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu; Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, represented by his Deputy Governor; as well as the Gombe State Governor, represented by the Deputy Governor, and other distinguished personalities, described Mustapha as a quintessential leader, servant of his people and lover of God and humanity.
Mutfwang said it was heartwarming to see a leader celebrated while alive, noting that the gathering was a testimony to the influence and impact Boss Mustapha had made in the service of the people.
He, however, expressed concern over what he described as the tendency among Middle Belt people and Christians to “specialise in running down our leaders,” stressing that no leader was perfect and that the time had come for the people to put their differences aside.
“The days ahead of us call for a new form of understanding and unity. We must learn to lay aside our differences. The days ahead of us as people of the Middle Belt and as Nigerians call for renewed thinking. We must operate on a new frequency, the frequency of unity,” he said.
The Governor likened collective leadership to the military, where different units and departments contribute to victory, stressing that no individual or group should be despised because every contribution was important to the success of the collective.
He urged the people to distinguish between constructive criticism and actions capable of weakening their collective strength, warning that those who deliberately set communities and leaders against one another could only deepen division and retard progress.
Mutfwang also called on leaders to lead from the front while urging their followers to support them, noting that leaders might not be perfect but should not be publicly humiliated or “undressed in the market square.”
According to him, the celebration of Boss Mustapha should not be viewed as a retirement ceremony but as the beginning of a new phase of leadership and responsibility. He urged Mustapha to embrace those who may have opposed him in the past and build a broader platform for collective progress.
“Look for those who have opposed you in the course of your journey and let us come together and find a new energy to move ahead in the days to come,” Mutfwang urged.
Mutfwang prayed for God’s continued strength, good health and longevity for Boss Mustapha, expressing hope that the celebration would open a new conversation for a better Nigeria, a stronger Middle Belt and greater unity within the Church.
The Governor’s delegation comprises distinguished sons of Plateau State, whose remarkable contributions to the State and the nation span Christian ministry, public service, legislative leadership, military service, and institutional administration.
They include: Rev Dr Obed Dashan, a prominent Nigerian clergyman and former Vice President of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN); the Rt Revd Stanley David Fube, a distinguished Nigerian cleric and Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Langtang; Rt Hon Emmanuel Go’ar, former Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly and former Member of the House of Representatives; Air Vice Marshal (Rtd.) Senator Napoleon Bali, former senator representing Plateau South Senatorial District; and Sir Joseph Ari, former Director-General of the Industrial Training Fund (ITF).