The Plateau State Government has defended Governor Caleb Mutfwang against criticism trailing his recent remarks during a meeting with leaders of the Igbo community, insisting that his comments were deliberately taken out of context and misrepresented.
Key Highlights
- Plateau State Government defended Governor Caleb Mutfwang over his recent remarks to Igbo community leaders.
- The government said the governor’s comments were taken out of context and misrepresented.
- It denied that Mutfwang apologised for the role of Plateau indigenes during the Nigerian Civil War.
- The governor’s remarks were described as a call for reconciliation, national unity and peaceful coexistence.
- The government said Mutfwang acknowledged the contributions of the Igbo community to Plateau State’s development.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by the Director of Press and Public Affairs to the Governor, Gyang Bere, the state government dismissed claims that Governor Mutfwang apologised for the role played by Plateau State indigenes during the Nigerian Civil War.
The controversy follows the governor’s remarks while receiving Igbo leaders on a courtesy visit to the Government House in Jos.
His comments sparked mixed reactions, with some critics alleging that he had apologised over the actions of Plateau State people during the civil war.
However, the state government rejected the interpretation, maintaining that Governor Mutfwang’s remarks were made in the spirit of reconciliation, appreciation and national unity.
According to the statement, the governor neither attempted to rewrite the history of the civil war nor diminish the experiences of any ethnic group affected by the conflict.
Instead, the state government said Governor Mutfwang acknowledged the resilience, enterprise and contributions of the Igbo community to the economic and social development of Plateau State, while calling for peaceful coexistence among Nigerians.
“The scars of that period remain part of our national history and deserve to be remembered with empathy, honesty and sensitivity,” the statement said.
It added that the lessons of the civil war should inspire greater national unity rather than reopen old divisions.
The state government also pointed to Plateau State’s history of accommodating Nigerians from different ethnic backgrounds, describing the state as a model of peaceful coexistence.
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According to the statement, successive administrations, beginning with the late Joseph Gomwalk and later Solomon Lar, helped establish an inclusive environment where members of the Igbo community have continued to make significant contributions to commerce, education, healthcare and industry.
The state government further linked Plateau State’s tradition of inclusiveness to former Head of State, Yakubu Gowon’s post-war “No Victor, No Vanquished” policy, as well as the reconciliation, rehabilitation and reconstruction programme, describing them as globally recognised approaches to post-conflict healing.
It said Governor Mutfwang remains committed to sustaining that legacy through policies that promote dialogue, reconciliation and peaceful coexistence.
The government urged Nigerians to ignore what it described as distorted interpretations of the governor’s remarks, warning that such narratives could fuel ethnic divisions and distract from the broader message of national unity.
Reaffirming the administration’s position, the statement said Governor Mutfwang believes every Nigerian, irrespective of ethnicity, religion or place of origin, deserves equal opportunity, dignity and a sense of belonging, adding that those principles will continue to guide his administration in Plateau State.
