Events
Worshipers Gear Up as Governor Mutfwang Tours Final Preparations for Plateau Unity Christmas Festival
All is now set for the 2025 Plateau Unity Christmas Carols and Praise Festival, as the Plateau State Government completes extensive preparations for the second edition of the spiritually uplifting and culturally unifying event.
Scheduled to hold from Friday, 28 to Sunday, 30 November 2025, at the Ten Commandments Prayer Altar, Du, in Jos South Local Government Area, the festival is envisioned as a key platform for promoting peace, mending strained relationships, and celebrating the shared identity of the Plateau people.
Governor Caleb Mutfwang, who inspected the ongoing preparations at the venue, described the festival as an essential part of his administration’s commitment to strengthening social cohesion across the state.
He noted that the initiative serves as a strategic tool for healing long-standing divisions, fostering communal interaction, and encouraging renewed unity in diversity. “The festival gives residents an opportunity to reflect on God’s enduring grace while reconnecting with one another in gratitude and fellowship,” he said.
Describing the 2025 edition as a “powerful instrument for restoring hope,” Governor Mutfwang expressed confidence that the event would grow into one of Plateau’s most defining platforms for peace-building and mutual understanding. He commended the Central Planning Committee for its diligence and assured that his administration remains committed to ensuring a seamless, secure, and spiritually impactful experience for all participants.
The Secretary to the Government of the State and Chairman of the Central Planning Committee, Samuel Jatau, confirmed that preparations had reached the final stages. He emphasised that the festival is designed to strengthen bonds of friendship among Plateau’s diverse communities and provide Christians across Nigeria and the diaspora with a profound opportunity to praise God for His unfailing love, abundant blessings, and divine protection over the state.
A distinguished line-up of dignitaries is expected at the festival, including former Head of State Gen. Dr. Yakubu Gowon, who will serve as Special Guest of Honour; former President Chief Olusegun Obasanjo; and the Minister of Art, Culture and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa. Guest speakers include former Vice President Pastor Professor Yemi Osinbajo and Senior Pastor of Dunamis International Gospel Centre, Dr. Paul Enenche.
The programme will feature electrifying ministrations by renowned gospel artistes such as Sinach, Buchi, Uche, and Loretta, alongside the Kungiyan Nasari Choir from Katsina State. Other participants include denominational choirs, women’s fellowships, singing groups, Plateau indigenes in Abuja, and choristers from the Southern and Central Senatorial Zones. Their performances are expected to create an atmosphere of worship, celebration, and spiritual renewal.
A major highlight of the festival is the children’s Bible quiz and scripture recitation competition, featuring participants aged three to 18. Organisers confirmed that the final stages of the contest have been concluded, with participants demonstrating exceptional knowledge of scripture, memory skills, and confidence. Winners across all categories will be presented with prizes and plaques by Governor Mutfwang at the closing ceremony, encouraging continuous spiritual growth among younger generations.
On security, Brigadier General Gakji Shipi assured residents that comprehensive measures are in place to safeguard lives and property. He explained that designated parking areas would be fully secured, while crowd control, emergency response, and transportation logistics had been carefully planned to ensure a safe and seamless experience throughout the three-day celebration.
Additional preparations include expansion works at the venue to accommodate the expected large crowd, strategic viewing areas for participants, and vendor cubicles. Over 60 corporate organisations have also been invited to partner in the event, reflecting its growing regional and national significance.
As Christmas approaches, residents across Plateau’s 17 Local Government Areas are in high spirits and are encouraged to continue exemplifying the unity, hope, and divine love that the season represents.
Lingzhi Global Nigeria Ltd. has announced plans to hold the second edition of the Coffee Festival International Nigeria in Calabar, Cross River State, from October 30 to November 1, 2026, as part of efforts to promote coffee production and expand opportunities across the value chain.
The festival, organised in collaboration with the National Coffee and Tea Association of Nigeria, NACOFTAN, will be held under the theme, “Coffee Sustainability and Empowerment: Focusing on Women and Youth Development,” with emphasis on skills development, community development and job creation.
The Chief Executive Officer of Lingzhi Global, Mrs. Blessing Nanman, disclosed this at a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja, saying the event would bring together coffee stakeholders, investors and international participants to explore opportunities in farming, processing, packaging, marketing and export.
“Farmers have gone to work. Some processors are already at the verge of breaking through. This is the time where we want to invite all investors, partners and international organisations to support us in the coffee industry,” Nanman said.
She said the maiden edition attracted participants from different countries, while the 2026 festival is expected to draw representatives from about 30 countries. According to her, the event would further define opportunities within the coffee value chain and encourage local consumption of coffee.
Nanman said Lingzhi Global was also expanding its coffee business through the establishment of coffee shops, noting that the outlets had become platforms where communities, families and people from different backgrounds could connect over coffee.
She said Cross River was selected to host the second edition because of its potential for coffee production and the state government’s efforts to expand cultivation through the distribution of millions of coffee seedlings.
Speaking on the forthcoming festival, Cross River State Commissioner for Agriculture and Irrigation Development, Hon. Johnson Ebokpo, commended Lingzhi Global for its role in promoting coffee and tea development in the state and for working with stakeholders to strengthen the sector.
He said the company had contributed efforts to improve farmers’ access to seedlings, knowledge and markets, describing its partnership with the state as important to the development of the coffee value chain.
“We are pleased to be collaborating with Lingzhi Global, organisers of the International Coffee Festival, and NACOFTAN,” Ebokpo said.
The commissioner said the festival would give Cross River greater visibility as a coffee-producing destination while creating opportunities for women and young people to participate in the industry.
“This is also an opportunity for us to use the festival as a platform to create jobs for our people, particularly women and youths, while providing them with opportunities to learn more and develop their skills,” he said.
Ebokpo said the coffee industry extends beyond farming to processing, packaging and export, stressing that young people could create businesses and develop their own brands by participating in different stages of the value chain.
He said Cross River has about 23,000 square kilometres of arable land suitable for coffee development and has the agro-ecological advantage of producing both Arabica and Robusta varieties. He added that the state plans to distribute at least 30 million coffee seedlings over five years.
President of NACOFTAN, Dr. Hassan Usman, said the festival would provide an opportunity for Nigerian stakeholders to exchange knowledge and technology with international players in the coffee industry.
“The Coffee Festival is not only Nigerian in inclusion, but international. We have people coming from Brazil, Indonesia, Kenya and all the countries. The globe will be around with us,” Usman said.
Usman also commended Lingzhi Global for taking stakeholders across the country and beyond to gain knowledge in coffee processing and marketing, saying the company had played a critical role in connecting Nigerian stakeholders with international opportunities.
He said stakeholders would use the gathering to strategise on strengthening the coffee value chain and changing the narrative around coffee production in Nigeria, while calling for greater participation from government agencies, investors and other stakeholders.
The 2026 Coffee Festival International Nigeria is expected to bring together farmers, processors, roasters, investors, experts and other stakeholders from Nigeria and abroad for three days of knowledge-sharing, networking and promotion of the coffee industry.
The streets of Jos echoed with a simple message on Saturday: peace is everyone’s responsibility.
As part of activities marking the 2026 International Day of Peace, the Women for Positive Peacebuilding Initiative (WOPPI) joined other peace organisations for a peace walk from Old Airport Junction to Secretariat Junction Bridge.
Holding placards calling for unity, dialogue and peaceful coexistence, participants took the message of peace to the streets and into the public space.
This year’s International Day of Peace, observed on September 21, is themed “Invest in Peace – For Everyone, Everywhere, Every Day.” The United Nations says the theme highlights the role of ordinary people as “everyday architects of peace.” (United Nations Peacekeeping)
For WOPPI Executive Director, Lantana Abdullah, the message is particularly important for Plateau, a state with a history of violent conflicts.
She said peace cannot be left to government or security agencies alone. Every citizen, she stressed, has a role to play.
“Every citizen residing in Plateau or beyond Plateau or in Nigeria must play their part in making sure we sustain and build enduring peace for everyone.”
Abdullah urged citizens to choose dialogue over confrontation, report responsibly and speak up when they see issues capable of threatening peace.
She also challenged negative narratives about Plateau, pointing out that people continue to live, work and build their livelihoods across the state despite its troubled past.
For WOPPI, women must also be at the centre of this process. The organisation works to strengthen women’s voices, train them as mediators and involve them in preventing and resolving conflicts within their communities.
The walk therefore carried more than placards. It carried a reminder: peace is not something people wait for others to create. It is something communities build—one conversation, one intervention and one peaceful choice at a time.
And in the words of this year’s global message, that investment must happen for everyone, everywhere, every day. (United Nations)
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