President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has provided assurances to Christian communities in northern Nigeria that his administration remains committed to fairness, national unity, and equitable treatment across religious lines.
He also reiterated his government’s resolve to confront insecurity issues, especially in the tackling of farmer-herder conflicts.
While in Plateau State, President Tinubu paid tribute to Nana Lydia Yilwatda, the mother of the All Progressives Congress (APC) national chairman, before addressing a predominantly Christian audience.
According to a statement by his media aide, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu urged religious leaders to place trust in his government, emphasizing that each has a role to play in maintaining peace and mutual respect across the nation.
He declared:
“I have a mission to unite this country, ensure its prosperity, and we are making progress. We are defeating bandits, and we will defeat them. We will deal with them and combat the farmers-herders clashes.”
In relation to national safety concerns, Tinubu highlighted that his administration is intensifying efforts against terrorism, banditry, and the recurring disputes between farmers and herders.
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Amos Mohzo, President and spiritual leader of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN), welcomed the president’s remarks and pointed to significant representation of northern Christians in the federal structure: the appointment of George Akume as Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Nantawe Yilwatda as national chairman of the ruling party. Mohzo also appealed to Tinubu to support victims of conflicts in states such as Benue and facilitate the return and resettlement of displaced Christian populations from insurgency-affected areas in Borno and Adamawa.
The farmer-herder conflict is a longstanding and often violent dispute over land, grazing routes and resource access, especially in Nigeria’s Middle Belt and northern states. In many of these clashes, farmers (often Christian) and pastoralists (often Muslim) contend over diminishing arable land, water sources and migration pathways.
Under Tinubu’s administration, new institutional changes have been introduced most notably the creation of a Ministry of Livestock Development designed to help mediate pastoralist and farming interests, manage grazing routes, and reduce conflict over land use.
Critics, however, argue that institutional reform must be backed by strong implementation, respect for state laws banning open grazing, and protection of vulnerable communities.
Tinubu has, in past statements, pledged to “reorient” farmers and herders and to propose a comprehensive plan to address conflict, including measures to provide land and regulate grazing.
The success of such initiatives, however, depends on collaboration with state governments, strict rule of law enforcement, and broad stakeholder acceptance.
