LALONG: The blessed peacemaker
I am not in support and lack the capacity to ever condone the killing of innocent people anywhere. What happened recently in Benue is condemnable. But love him or hate him, Barr Simon Lalong is the most successful governor in the area of peace building in the middle belt of Nigeria and conflict management wise, the Benue State governor has a lot to learn from him.
Governing multicultural states like the ones we have in central Nigeria is no mean task. It is a serious case of striking a balance while walking the rope and Lalong is doing that excellently in Plateau State today. Those that are attacking him by accepting the twisted version of his comments while vehemently rejecting the truth, must cast their minds back at his journey as a governor who took over a state in disarray from violent conflicts and one that uses uncommon conflict management strategy to stem the tide and return his state on the path to peace. Some of his policies may appear unpopular, but Lalong chooses to bear the pain of difficult decision making on the altar of peace.
We that experienced a spate of violent conflicts for over a decade in Plateau when even work and worship was done with difficulty and fear will certainly pray that such never happened in Benue, our sister state. We feel for those hurting from the loss of loved ones but we also know how far our Governor had come and where he is going with us. From his body language to his actions, Lalong is a peace builder with skills in building bridges across ethno religious divides.
Lalong had offered apologies to the people of Benue as a peace builder but the truth be told, Benue has a thing or two to learn from Lalong and the Plateau.
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