The Executive Secretary, National Christian Pilgrims Commission, Rev. Yakubu Pam (right) and the Bauchi State governor, Sen. Bala Mohammed.
ARMSTRONG ALLAHMAGANI, Bauchi
Bauchi State governor, Bala Mohammed has challenged leaders in the country to be just and fair to all people pointing out that without justice, there can be no peace.
He said this when he received the Executive Secretary, National Christian Pilgrims Commission, Reverend Yakubu Pam and principal officers of the Commission who paid him an advocacy visit at the Government House Bauchi on Monday.
The governor commended Christians in the state for their contributions towards the growth and development of the state in various spheres of life.
He said: “Our heterogeneous nature is deepening our harmony and peaceful coexistence and because we are that peculiarly homogeneous, we are really at the receiving end of infrastructural gaps.
“We have taken an inventory of our problems and challenges, we didn’t come into government blindfolded, we had to take a stock.
“And I must thank your members, members of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Bauchi Chapter and indeed, all our brothers and sisters for being very, very proactive, for contributing positively to the growth and development of the state in terms of human capital, even for the success of my politics.Governor Bala Mohammed, Bauchi State government functionaries in a group photograph with officials of the NCPC at the Government House.
“Politics is a reward system and inorder to have peace on a lasting perspective, there must be justice and equity. Whatever that was being done to show exclusion, to show disrespect to the exercise of one’s aspirations and desires, must be reversed do that we create a level playing field for everybody, to live and let live.
“There is so much to be given and government can accommodate everybody and I am happy to say that all your members that are in government are contributing very well to our success.”
Mohammed said that Bauchi is peculiar because it is a state that is multidimensional, multi-religious, and harmonious coexistence between different people of diverse backgrounds pointing out that it has so many tribes, two major religions “but essentially, people determined to live together on peace and harmony.”
He noted that the state has its challenges with regards to infrastructure and services, and his administration inherited a lot of challenges which he is trying hard particularly, in education, health and other services to make sure he makes a difference.
“The infrastructure and service gaps are huge because we have provided the solitary effects within the northeast where there is a lot of insurgency, terrorism and people are running from where there is insecurity to peaceful places.
“Bauchi and Gombe tend to provide the succour and the solace for those who want to live in peace and by so doing, we are bombarded by demographics in terms of population increase and thereby overstretching our gaps in education and other services,” he said.
He lamented that the state has the highest number of out-of-school children because it is accommodating making people to come from Borno and Yobe states adding that even when there was insecurity in the northcentral, the place to go was Bauchi.
According to him: “People running away from the northwest, they come to Bauchi, because we are the gateway to the northeast, northcentral and northwest and we are contiguous with about seven states, and that is what makes us very peculiar.”
The governor challenged Christians in the state and across the country to sponsor themselves for pilgrimage to Jerusalem and not depend on the government totally.
He pledged his continued support to the Commission in order to achieve the desired objectives.
Speaking earlier, the Executive Secretary of the NCPC, Rev. Yakubu Pam, commended Governor Mohammed over his inclusiveness in governance.
Pam who is also the Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) 19 Northern States, informed the governor that the Commission was in Bauchi state for a one day sensitisation program in preparation for the 2020 Christian pilgrimage to be conducted in December.
He said: “Your Excellency, we are on a one day sensitisation tour in preparation for the 2020 pilgrimage which, by the Grace of God, will take place in December, this year.
“We decided to visit you today, a day that was set aside as International Peace Day based on the record and what we have seen in the areas of peace and security.
“Since your assumption of office, we have seen peace, unity among the diverse ethnic groups in the state and governance at the grassroots. We decided to come and give you the honor and to tell Nigerians that, there are lessons to learn from Bauchi state.”
The Executive Secretary thanked Governor Mohammed for his generosity describing him as a pilgrim friendly Governor.
