By Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko
Pope Leo XIV at his inauguration greeted the faithful and the world invoking peace and pledging to work for a united Church faithful to Jesus and to the Gospel.
Pope Leo XIV greeted the city of Rome and the world with these words at his first appearance as the Successor of Peter from the Central Loggia of St Peter’s Basilica:
Dear brothers and sisters, these are the first words spoken by the risen Christ, the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for God’s flock. I would like this greeting of peace to resound in your hearts, in your families, among all people, wherever they may be, in every nation and throughout the world. Peace be with you!
It is the peace of the risen Christ. A peace that is unarmed and disarming, humble and persevering. A peace that comes from God, the God who loves us all, unconditionally.
We can still hear the faint yet ever courageous voice of Pope Francis as he blessed Rome, the Pope who blessed Rome, who gave his blessing to the world, the whole world, on the morning of Easter. Allow me to extend that same blessing: God loves us, God loves you all, and evil will not prevail! All of us are in God’s hands. So, let us move forward, without fear, together, hand in hand with God and with one another other! We are followers of Christ. Christ goes before us. The world needs his light. Humanity needs him as the bridge that can lead us to God and his love. Help us, one and all, to build bridges through dialogue and encounter, joining together as one people, always at peace. Thank you, Pope Francis! (Source: The Vatican). These lovely words offers us an insight into the very strategic place of peace and dialogue in the governance of any entity.
In a political climate often marred by inconsistency and opportunism, Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang of Plateau State stands out as a leader whose commitment to peace and security continues to command respect and inspire hope. Since assuming office in May 2023, his administration has anchored governance on a central principle; that the protection of lives and property is not merely a constitutional obligation but the foundation of social and economic renewal.
This essay is not an exercise in praise-singing. It is a sober reflection on leadership grounded in principle. The challenges facing Plateau, and indeed Nigeria, are enormous. Yet, in the midst of cynicism, it is vital to identify and amplify those who, with visible results, strive to lead differently; and to remind them of the temptations that have undone many before them.
Governor Mutfwang understands that without peace, no society can attract investment, nurture innovation, or generate sustainable prosperity. His approach has been deliberate, people-centred, and unpretentious. At his inauguration, he vowed that under his leadership, security would go beyond rhetoric to action — and that he would be firm, fair, and just to all, regardless of political, ethnic, or religious identity.
Barely weeks after being declared Governor-Elect by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), his resolve was severely tested. His hometown, Mangu, and the Deputy Governor’s local government area, Riyom, came under sustained attacks aimed at destabilizing the state. Instead of resorting to blame games (the default posture of many politicians) Governor Mutfwang chose empathy and action. He visited internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Riyom, Barkin-Ladi, Mangu, and Bokkos, many of whom had languished in camps for nearly two decades. His presence rekindled hope in communities long abandoned by power. For the first time in years, displaced families felt that leadership had rediscovered its humanity.
More crucially, Governor Mutfwang demonstrated the courage to redefine Plateau’s security crisis. While others continued to hide behind the convenient label of “herder-farmer clashes,” he called the violence what it truly is; a genocide against defenceless rural populations. That clarity of language and conviction of purpose resonated across Nigeria. Security analysts and civil society observers have since echoed his view, acknowledging that the pattern and coordination of attacks reveal something far graver than mere communal conflict.
Determined to secure his state, Governor Mutfwang embarked on strategic engagements with the nation’s security hierarchy. In Abuja, he met with the Chief of Defence Staff, the service chiefs, the Inspector-General of Police, the Department of State Services (DSS), the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. His mission was clear: to present the true picture of the humanitarian crisis on the Plateau and secure tangible commitments to end it. The outcome was remarkable. For the first time in many years, Nigeria’s top security chiefs visited Plateau, and their coordinated intervention helped avert further bloodshed in several threatened communities.
These efforts yielded measurable results. The establishment of new Police Mobile Force squadrons in Gashish, Bassa, and the well-equipped MOPOL 81 in Kwall has enhanced community protection. Security presence in Bassa, Riyom, and Jos South has become a deterrent to the armed marauders who once terrorized those areas with impunity.
This is not to say the security architecture is flawless. The nightmares of guns, arson, abduction and displacement are not yet behind us. But the fact that new units now exist, are operational, and are visibly deployed is itself a break with prior neglect. It is a product not of wish, but of political pressure, institutional persuasion, and the governor’s insistence that external security bodies see Plateau as a test, not as a fringe or lost territory.
No governor can wait for Abuja to solve everything. At the state level, Governor Mutfwang revived and modernized Operation Rainbow, a once-dormant security outfit created under former Governor Jonah Jang. The initiative began with the recruitment, training, and equipping of 600 trusted youths from vulnerable communities in Mangu, Barkin-Ladi, Riyom, Bokkos, and Jos South. Their intelligence efforts have already prevented several planned attacks. Plans are also underway to recruit another 1,450 young men and women across the 17 local government areas to strengthen grassroots vigilance.
To improve logistics and rapid response, the administration repaired dozens of grounded patrol vehicles and procured new Hilux vans and motorcycles. In partnership with local governments, 17 new Hilux vehicles were handed over to Operation Rainbow. The government also established a functional Security and Information Centre with a toll-free emergency line, enabling citizens to report threats and suspicious activities. Complementing this is the Plateau Special Activities Centre, equipped with surveillance technology to monitor security developments across the state.
Beyond physical security, the Mutfwang administration is determined to restore the dignity of displaced persons. In 2024, he inaugurated a Resettlement Committee tasked with facilitating the safe return of IDPs to their ancestral homes; guided by the principle that no community should be resettled without guaranteed safety. By May 2025, he established a Fact-Finding Committee to identify affected communities, assess destruction, trace attack routes, unmask perpetrators, and propose long-term justice and reconciliation measures.
Recognizing that sustainable peace depends on dialogue, Governor Mutfwang also established a State Inter-Religious Advisory Committee comprising faith leaders and community representatives. The committee has since evolved into a vital platform for early warning, interfaith understanding, and conflict prevention across Plateau’s diverse communities.
Security may be the central pillar of his administration, but it does not stand alone. Governance requires strong institutions. In that regard, Governor Mutfwang is laying solid foundations. He appointed retired Brigadier-General Gakji Shipi as Special Adviser on Security and Homeland Safety; a strategic move that reflects seriousness rather than patronage. In 2024, he swore in new permanent secretaries to strengthen the civil service around merit, transparency, and competence. By August 2025, he expanded his advisory team to include senior aides focused on community relations across ethnic lines, signaling inclusiveness and grassroots engagement.
Here it is necessary (painful, perhaps, but necessary) to pivot from praise to counsel. Among the greatest trials for any politician in Nigeria is the pressure to decamp to the ruling party. In our contemporary political ecology, defections are normalized; loyalty is treated as optional; ideology is secondary to alignment with executive favour.
Governor Mutfwang’s leadership has shown a rare consistency in an era defined by political expediency. His loyalty to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the platform that gave him victory, remains firm. While many peers have defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in search of political shelter or to evade scrutiny, Mutfwang has resisted such temptation. His steadfastness stands as a refreshing contrast to the unprincipled defections that continue to erode Nigeria’s democracy.
If he were to abandon the PDP, he would inevitably dilute the moral and political capital that defines him. He would risk being seen as just another political opportunist who traded principle for convenience. The people of Plateau, who view him as a symbol of stability and sincerity, would see such a move as betrayal.
Governor Mutfwang must, therefore, stay the course. Remaining in the PDP is not merely about partisanship; it is about integrity; about affirming that character still matters in leadership. Plateau does not need another political drifter; it needs a statesman who values service above self-interest. His refusal to compromise his ideals will not only preserve his credibility but also elevate him among Nigeria’s most principled leaders.
History has rarely been kind to defectors. Those who fled to the ruling party to escape scrutiny often ended up diminished and distrusted. They lost both the respect of their people and the moral authority that once defined them. Governor Mutfwang must not join that crowd of political lepers. His enduring legacy should be that of a man who chose the harder right over the easier wrong.
The future of Plateau lies with leaders who understand that peace is not achieved by speeches or slogans but by sustained investment in justice, empathy, and human security. Governor Mutfwang’s record reflects this understanding. Through his actions, he has shown that leadership, at its best, is about courage; the courage to speak truth to power, to stand by one’s convictions, and to place humanity above politics.
As he continues to rebuild trust among communities, resettle displaced families, and restore Plateau’s image as the Home of Peace and Tourism, Governor Mutfwang must remain focused. His administration has already laid the groundwork for a new Plateau; one defined not by violence but by unity, not by fear but by hope. If he sustains this momentum and resists political blackmail, he will not only transform Plateau but also emerge as one of Nigeria’s most respected leaders.
The rewards of perseverance are immense: a Plateau where farmers no longer fear raids, where displaced families return with dignity, where children learn in safety, and where businesses thrive. Such a Plateau would stand as a model for the Middle Belt, and for Nigeria at large.
In the end, Caleb Mutfwang will not be judged by how comfortably he stayed in office, but by how profoundly he transformed the meaning of governance in a land long scarred by neglect and violence.
This is the moment for principled politics; for integrity, consistency, and courage.
And let me hazard a prediction: if Governor Mutfwang remains steadfast, history will record that the turning point for Plateau came not through force or theatrics, but through unwavering fidelity to justice, security, and the common good.
The people of Plateau deserve peace. Nigeria needs examples of integrity in power. Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang must continue to embody both; for in an era of opportunism, consistency is the greatest form of courage.
* EMMANUEL NNADOZIE ONWUBIKO is the founder of the HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) and a former NATIONAL COMMISSIONER OF THE NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION OF NIGERIA.
