The Director General, Plateau Peace Building Agency (PPBA), Mr. Joseph Lengmang on Monday said the agency was created to nurture and promote mutual trust among residents of the State.
Lengmang in a chat with journalists in Jos, added that the agency was also expected to work out steps to promote harmonious co-existence among ethnic and religious groups in the State.
He maintained that the agency, which was established by an act of legislation in February 2016, had a primary mandate of preventing violent conflicts and consolidating on the peace currently being enjoyed on the hitherto conflict ridden State.
“To carry out our mandate, we shall be very proactive; we cannot afford the luxury of being reactionary,” he said.
“Our mandate is to seek out the issues and deal with them at the latent stages with the aim of tackling them before they escalate into violent conflicts.
According to the DG, “This is the first time Plateau State is having an institution to deal with conflicts; we have found that waiting until things get out of hand has only worsened alreday bad situations.
Lengmang further explained that, the agency was working with state and non-state actors towards a collaborative synergy that would make Plateau a peaceful haven for all.
He said that the agency had begun its mandate by conducting advocacy campaigns to enlighten the people on the functions of PBA and how it was contributing to peace building.
“We found that we needed to create a lot of awareness; we also need to sensitize the people on the benefits od peaceful co-existence.
“Another step is to engage the media to help us convey the messages,” he said.
The DG pointed out that all Plateau residents had significant roles to play in its peace building process, and urged everyone to team up with the agency.
Lengmang appealed to people with grievances to channel them through legally constituted authorities, noting that there was always a way of seeking redress over past and present injustices.
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