‘Ortom should learn from Lalong’

Arenowned actor and media practitioner, Alhaji Sani Mu’azu, yesterday, described Plateau State Governor, Simon Bako Lalong, as the most successful governor in the area of peace building and conflict management in the entire Middle Belt.

He, therefore, called on the Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, to learn from his Plateau counterpart.

Mu’azu, while condemning the recent killings in Benue State, noted that governing any multicultural state in the North Central was a no mean task, but said Lalong had used uncommon conflict management strategy to stem the tide of crisis which helped him return Plateau to the path of peace.

He said in a statement made available to Daily Trust in Jos that many who had attacked Lalong over what he described as twisted version of his comments while vehemently rejecting the truth, must cast their minds back to his journey as a governor who took over a state in disarray from violent conflicts.

“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 were done with difficulty and fear will certainly pray that such never happened in Benue, our sister state,” he said.

He further described Lalong as “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,” he said.