The Nasarawa State Government has reiterated its commitment to partner the Catholic Church toward ensuring a lasting peace in the state.

Governor Umaru Al-Makura gave the assurance on Tuesday in Lafia when he received a delegation from the Catholic Diocese of Lafia led by Bishop Matthew Audu.

Al-Makura attributed the successes recorded so far in the state to the prayers and support of the Catholic Church and other religious groups through impartation of the virtues of peace and tolerance on the citizens.

He decried the incessant crises in the state but thanked God that the situation had abated given the commitment of government and other stakeholders; including the church.

Al-Makura stressed the need for all citizens to imbibe the spirit of forgiveness, tolerance and embrace dialogue towards ensuring lasting peace and harmony in the state.

According to him, the time to apportion blames was gone, the citizens, irrespective of religious or ethnic leaning, should extend hands of brotherhood towards the rehabilitation of all the victims of the crises.

He said the state government had made various efforts to ameliorate the plights of the victims of the crises through the provision of relief materials and deployment of mobile hospitals in different locations for their healthcare.

Al-Makura also said government was talking with different religious denominations to see how it could assist them to rebuild their places of worship destroyed during the crises.

Earlier, Bishop Audu had said the visit was to congratulate the governor on his re-election and to pray for the success of his second term.

He commended the achievements of the governor in the various sectors of the state, ranging from physical infrastructure to education development and civil servants' welfare.

"Your electoral victory is a demonstration of good leadership skills of carrying everyone along irrespective of ethnic or religious inclination," Audu said.

Audu said that Nasarawa state was a pluralistic society and called for tolerance and dialogue in resolving differences.

He assured the state governor that the Catholic Church would continue to promote dialogue and pray for the enduring peace in the state.

The Bishop, however, called on the government to do more towards securing the lives of the citizens as well as cushion the effect of the crises on the people.

He also appealed to the government to consider the return to the church the old St. Augustine’s Teachers’ Training College taken over by the military government.

Audu said that the government alone could not shoulder the responsibility of education which called for the need to return the college to the Catholic Church. (NAN)

•Photo shows Gov. Al-Makura.

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