The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, has described the speech delivered by President Bola Tinubu in Plateau State as a powerful address that cast the president as “a father of the nation, a lover of peace, a tolerant Muslim and a commander-in-chief.”

PUNCH Online reports that Tinubu was in Jos, Plateau capital, on Saturday, where he met with Christian leaders at the headquarters of the Church of Christ in Nations, and paid tribute to the late Nana Lydia Yilwatda Goshwe, mother of the All Progressives Congress National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda.

While addressing Christian leaders, the President assured Christian communities in northern Nigeria of his administration’s dedication to fairness and inclusivity across all faiths.

In a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu said, “I have a mission to unite this country and ensure its prosperity, and we are making progress.”

While paying homage to Goshwe, who passed away at the age of 83, Tinubu recalled his own family’s religious diversity as a testament to his respect for all faiths.

“In our family, we have a strong Muslim background, and I married a Christian — a pastor, for that matter — and I have never forced her to change her religion,” he stated.

He urged the clergy to continue to have faith in his administration, adding that leaders have a collective responsibility to manage religious issues for the benefit of all Nigerians.

Speaking on Tinubu’s visit in a statement via X on Sunday, Dare said the president’s warm welcome and speech reflect his passion for security, religion, peace, faith, and national destiny.

The spokesman said, “President Tinubu’s Sermon on the Plateau was delivered with the powerful forces of being a father of the nation, a lover of Peace, a tolerant Muslim, and a Commander-in-Chief. Mr President, Plateau will always remember!”

Dare said the visit represented reconciliation and reconnection with the people of Plateau.

He described the scenes in the city as a public vindication of the president.

“Jos Plateau State was lit! President Tinubu arrived to the embrace of a BATIFIED Jos as the streets flowed with rants of his name and chants of President.

“The people on their own have indicated their direction. Jos was a vindication. Jos was a reconciliation… Jos was a mirror. Look closely.

“President Tinubu spoke from the heart. He spoke about security. He spoke about religion through a personal testimony. He spoke about peace, challenging us all to invest in peace. He spoke about faith and destiny,” the presidential aide said.