Plateau state governor, Caleb Mutfwang and a former minister of aviation, Femi Fani-kayode, have exchanged hot words over the recent killings in the state and the visit of Israeli envoy, Amb. Michael Freeman to the state.
While the former minister described Governor Caleb Mutfwang as a weak leader, the governor accused FFK of distorting “the truth and demonizing a well-intentioned act of governance.”
Fani-kayode said when Sen. Simon Lalong was governor of the state, the killings were minimised because he understood the nature of the terrorists and knew what to do and what not to do.
“He also recognised the danger in associating with foreigners that are more interested in dividing us than uniting us.”
In a statement made available to Blueprint, Wednesday in Abuja, which he specifically addressed to the governor, Wednesday in Abuja, Fani-kayode asked Mutfwang to focus on bringing peace to the state rather than worry about him.
“Your people in Plateau state are being slaughtered & you are busy writing feeble rejoinders to me? Don’t you think you have bigger problems than that?
“Let me reiterate my position: you are a weak & cowardly man who does not know his left from his right.”
The former minister lamented that since the current governor got elected “all you have done is whine, blame everyone else for your woeful failure, welcome the enemies of humanity that are killing women & children in Gaza to your table & behave as if you are infallible.
The APC chieftain, who stated that he loves Plateau state and its people, declared that regardless of the governor’s protests and lamentations,” I stand by my words.”
“Those who kill Palestinians & occupy their land illegally can hardly be trusted to bring peace to the land of others.
“That was my point which you clearly chose to ignore or did not have the mental virility & intellectual fortitude to comprehend.
“Now you have made the whole thing worse by knuckling down & attempting to rationalise your shameful behaviour.
“One day you will discover that I am not an enemy but a friend because only friends tell you the truth no matter how bitter.”
Responding to the governor’s earlier response to his comment, the governor said, “Fani-Kayode’s recent tirade against the Executive Governor of Plateau State, His Excellency, Barr. Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang, over his engagement with the Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Michael Freeman is nothing short of a cocktail of conspiracy theories, unfiltered rage, and dangerous misinformation.
“While we may allow FFK his freedom of speech, what he can not be allowed to do is distort the truth and demonize a well-intentioned act of governance.
“Governor Mutfwang did not host the ambassador of a religion or ideology in Jos, the Plateau State capital. He received a diplomatic representative of a sovereign nation (Israel) on a mission focused squarely on agriculture, technology, and medicine.
“His intention, stated clearly, is to unlock opportunities for food security, economic growth, and healthcare development in Plateau State. FFK, who claims to be a Christian, should understand the sacred duty of a leader to bring healing, not chaos, to his people. That is exactly what Governor Mutfwang is doing.”
Continuing, the governor said: “Plateau is not at war with Israel. Plateau is at war with poverty, food insecurity, youth unemployment, and decaying public infrastructure. It is in agriculture that the new relationship between Plateau State and Israel shines most brightly.
“Mr. Freeman came offering what Israel is globally known for: solutions. Innovations such as drip irrigation, precision farming, post-harvest preservation, and livestock management are technologies that have turned deserts into green fields. They are precisely what Plateau needs to become self-sufficient in food production and competitive in agricultural exports. Should Plateau reject that because of geopolitical grievances that have nothing to do with us?