Mutfwang Puts Plateau’s Hajj Sponsorship at Heart of Peace-Building Drive

Governor defends sponsorship of Muslim pilgrims as part of wider effort to promote religious harmony and inclusion, as Wase says state sponsored more than half of 1,334 pilgrims

By Abdullahi Yusuf

Plateau State Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang has defended his administration’s sponsorship of Muslim pilgrims to the annual Hajj, saying the expenditure should be viewed as an investment in peace, religious harmony and social stability rather than political patronage.

Mutfwang spoke on Thursday, September 3, while receiving the report of the 2026 Hajj operation at the New Government House, Rayfield, Jos, where he argued that sustainable development could not be separated from efforts to build trust and peaceful coexistence among the state’s religious communities.

“For us, it is an investment in peace and stability of our state,” the governor said.

He said government support for pilgrimage formed part of his broader approach to inclusive governance, stressing that religious or political differences should not determine whether citizens received support from the state.

“For me, sponsoring pilgrims to Hajj or Jerusalem is to deepen the fear of God in the hearts of our people, so that we will know that when the chips are down, we are all human beings before God. None of us is superior to the other,” he said.

Mutfwang also pointed to the appointment of former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ahmed Idris Wase, as Amirul Hajj as evidence of his commitment to political inclusion.

He said the decision was made despite their previous political differences, arguing that the wider interest of Plateau State should take precedence over partisan considerations.

“We thought that we must demonstrate our commitment to bipartisanship, our commitment to inclusion and our commitment to making sure that Plateau people are seen as one,” he said.

The governor said the state had for too long been defined by divisions between Muslims and Christians, arguing that such divisions had done little to advance the interests of its people.

“For too long, people have promoted the Muslim-Christian divide on the Plateau, and it hasn’t helped us,” he said, adding that residents must learn to live together and recognise their shared humanity.

He also highlighted what he described as the moral benefits of pilgrimage, recalling an incident during the 2025 Hajj in which a Plateau woman found money belonging to another pilgrim and returned it.

For Mutfwang, such acts of honesty and integrity represent values that government support for pilgrimage should help reinforce.

Earlier, the state’s Amirul Hajj, Ahmed Idris Wase, presented the report of the 2026 pilgrimage and commended the Mutfwang administration for its support.

Wase disclosed that the Plateau Government sponsored more than half of the 1,334 pilgrims who participated in this year’s Hajj, in addition to providing operational and logistical support to the Plateau State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board.

He said the state’s performance during the operation earned recognition from the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), with Governor Mutfwang receiving an award in recognition of the government’s support to pilgrims.

Wase attributed the successful operation to collaboration among the Pilgrims Welfare Board, Islamic scholars and other stakeholders, as well as improved religious orientation and mobilisation across the state’s senatorial zones and local government areas.

The governor also commended the Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board for strengthening its processes and closing loopholes that previously allowed individuals to manipulate or sell Hajj slots for personal benefit.

Mutfwang’s defence of the sponsorship comes against the backdrop of Plateau’s longstanding religious and communal tensions, which he said required a deliberate effort to strengthen trust and inclusion among citizens.

His remarks also returned the focus to the purpose of the pilgrimage itself: not simply taking citizens to the Holy Land, but encouraging values such as honesty, accountability and reverence for God that could extend beyond the journey.

With the 2026 operation earning recognition from NAHCON and the state reporting that it sponsored more than half of its 1,334 pilgrims, the programme has given Mutfwang a concrete platform to make the case that religious inclusion can form part of Plateau’s wider pursuit of peace and stability.

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