Foundation engages Plateau Muslim community on interfaith harmony

The Gideon and Funmi ParaMallam Peace Foundation has stepped up peacebuilding initiatives in Plateau State in the aftermath of recent gunmen attacks that left over 28 persons dead in Angwa Rukuba community, Jos North LGA.

On Monday, a delegation from the Foundation, led by its Chief Executive Officer, Dr Gideon ParaMallam, visited the Jos Central Mosque to meet with Muslim victims of the violence.

The team also held discussions with Muslim leaders, officials of the Jama’atu Nasril Islam political office holders and other stakeholders who converged on the mosque to welcome the delegation and collaborate on strategies to strengthen the peace process in the state.

Also present at the meeting was the Chief Imam of the Jos Central Mosque, Imam Ghazali Isma’ila Adam.

During the engagement, ParaMallam conveyed sympathy to the Muslim community over the crisis that affected its members, underscoring the importance of peaceful coexistence and the need for Christians and Muslims to work together to secure lasting peace in the state.

Speaking in an interview, ParaMallam said:

“We need to be able to co-exist peacefully between Christians and Muslims in Nigeria. It’s a fact that there are Christians in this country, there are also Muslims in this country.

“We need to work together. It’s not going to be easy. It’s tough, but we will continue to try until we learn to live together in peace. So the ultimate objective is to see a Plateau State that is peaceful, and as the Chief Imam said, Plateau State is known as the home of peace and tourism.

“We need to wake up and walk together, both Christians and Muslims alike, to let Plateau State regain its past glory as the most peaceful state in Nigeria. But as I said, our objective goes beyond Plateau to every part of Nigeria. We can not continue to live like this and under the atmosphere of violence and tension all the time as a nation and as a people.

“And I also believe that we all have to work collectively to attain peace in this country, but while we do our part as citizens. The government must do its part as a government to ensure that citizens are protected and saved from those who kill them with reckless abandon,” ParaMallam said.

In his remarks, the Chief Imam thanked the foundation for the visit and called for targeted government actions to address youth-related challenges and to consolidate ongoing peace efforts.

“There is a need for the government to create vocational centres to be able to deal with the issue of drug addicts, especially among the youth.

“We are going to continue to live in peace in Plateau and Nigeria at large,” the Chief Imam vowed.

He further stated: “We want to appreciate Mr. President and the state governor for the prompt response to the crisis. The response of the governor at the state and federal governments was superb.

“We appeal to the government to consider reviewing the curfew and further relaxing the curfew in view of the good conduct. We desire peace.

“We also want to appeal for the government to build on the peace efforts of the foundation so as to consolidate peace in the communities. Your efforts will not be in vain,” the Chief Imam stressed in an interview.

The Foundation later announced the donation of some relief materials to the crisis victims and noted that its outreach to the Muslim community forms part of broader interventions designed to promote dialogue, rebuild trust, and prevent further violence in communities affected by recurring attacks across Plateau State.

Our correspondent reports that the peace foundation had last week visited the Christian victims at the Angwa Rukuba community where the Chief Executive Officer and his team sympathised with the victims and encouraged them to sustain the peace in their communities.