Tinubu pledges fairness to northern christians, pays tribute to Lydia Yilwatda

By Isaac Joseph Inyang

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Saturday told Christian leaders in Jos that his administration is committed to fairness across religions and urged them to trust his government’s Renewed Hope Agenda, speaking during a meeting and funeral tribute for Nana Lydia Yilwatda, mother of APC National Chairman Professor Nantawe Yilwatda.

Speaking at the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) headquarters in Jos, Tinubu said he has a mission to unite Nigeria and to ensure prosperity for all citizens, noting his own interfaith family as evidence of religious harmony he comes from a Muslim background and is married to a Christian pastor whom he has never asked to change her faith. The President used the occasion, which included funeral prayers for the late 83-year-old Lydia Yilwatda, to reaffirm his administration’s determination to protect religious freedoms and tackle insecurity, promising continued action against terrorism, banditry and farmers–herders conflicts.

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Those present including COCIN President Reverend Dr Amos Mohzo, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila, several ministers and state governors listened as Tinubu appealed for unity and as Mohzo thanked the President for appointing Northern Christians to key federal positions, citing Senator George Akume as Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Professor Nantawe Yilwatda as APC chairman. Mohzo also pressed the federal government to do more for victims of violence in Plateau and Benue, and for displaced Christian communities from Borno and Adamawa who fled across the border to Cameroon.

The President tied his message of fairness to both governance and security, telling clergymen that leaders must manage religious issues responsibly for the benefit of all and insisting his administration is making progress to revive the economy for every Nigerian. “We are defeating bandits, and we will defeat them,” he said, framing security gains as part of the broader promise of inclusion and safety for communities across the North.

Professor Nantawe Yilwatda, who described his mother as hardworking and sustained by medication for decades, thanked President Tinubu for his support and pledged to honour the trust placed in him as APC chairman. The funeral rites and presidential visit provided a visible moment of rapprochement between the federal government and Northern Christian leaders, with both sides signalling readiness to cooperate on security and humanitarian relief.

Background context: Jos and Plateau State have experienced cycles of communal violence and farmer herder clashes in recent years, making federal engagement with local religious leaders politically and socially significant. Tinubu’s public reference to his interfaith marriage and the appointment of Northern Christians to prominent offices serve as gestures aimed at building confidence among communities who have at times felt marginalized 6.

Less central but notable participants in the event included the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum, several APC governors, the Minister of Youth Development and the Minister of Regional Development. As with any presidential assurance, the measure of impact will rest on follow-through particularly visible security interventions, assistance to displaced families and equitable distribution of opportunities across religious lines.