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.
The Young Leaders Network (YLN) has called for stronger citizen participation in the budget and development planning process in Plateau State, urging communities to clearly identify, document and communicate their priority needs to government.
The call was made on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, during a stakeholders’ roundtable on strengthening the integration of Community Charters of Demands (CCDs) into planning and budgeting in the state.
The engagement, organised by YLN with support from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), was aimed at promoting greater citizen participation in the state budget process and ensuring that community priorities are reflected in government plans and budgets.
Speaking at the event, Plateau State Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Ishaku Maren, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to incorporating citizens’ needs into the budgeting process.
Maren disclosed that the state had already commenced consultations ahead of the 2027 budget, with community leaders being engaged to identify and communicate the needs of their communities.
“The first thing we start with is citizens’ engagement. There is a point in time where citizens, most especially community leaders, will be invited to interact with us so that we get to know their felt needs,” he said.
According to the Commissioner, the integration of Community Charters of Demands would promote ownership, accountability and informed decision-making in the allocation of public resources.
Also speaking, YLN Executive Director, Seun Onarinde, said the roundtable was designed to equip citizens with the knowledge and tools required to effectively present their priorities to government at both state and local government levels.
Onarinde advised communities to identify their three most pressing development needs, document them through Community Charters of Demands and submit them to the relevant government agencies.
“It ensures that government is able to budget for the needs of the communities and able to meet those needs,” he said.
He noted that YLN had continued to promote citizen participation through initiatives including citizens’ budgets, the MyGovWatch platform and joint monitoring missions.
Onarinde urged citizens not to withdraw from the civic space, stressing that sustained engagement was necessary to make the budget process more open and responsive.
“The more we engage, the more the budget process becomes open. So I will not encourage citizens to pull back but rather to engage further so that the civic space can open up for engagement,” he added.
The OGP Secretariat in Abuja, represented by Uche Arisuku, also highlighted practical entry points for integrating Community Charters of Demands into state and local government development planning, sectoral planning, budget preparation, public consultations and implementation monitoring.
Arisuku stressed the importance of creating effective links between community priorities and government planning processes to ensure that citizens’ demands translate into measurable development outcomes.
The District Head of Nabor Gwong, Bala Haruna, commended YLN and its partners for organising the engagement, describing citizen participation as critical to achieving responsive and accountable governance.
The roundtable ended with stakeholders resolving to strengthen citizens’ engagement in the budget process and promote the wider adoption of Community Charters of Demands as a tool for ensuring that government plans and budgets reflect the actual needs of communities across Plateau State.
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Nigeria’s Christian Leaders to Unite in Abuja for First Lausanne Congress in Over 10 Years (Register Now)
The Lausanne Nigeria Christian Missions has announced plans to convene about 5,000 church leaders, missionaries, theological educators, young Christian leaders and marketplace professionals at the first national Lausanne gathering in Nigeria in more than a decade.
The Lausanne Nigeria Congress 2026 is scheduled to hold from October 27 to 30 at the National Ecumenical Centre, Abuja, under the theme, “Let the Church Declare and Display Christ Together.”
According to the organisers, registration for the four-day congress is now open, with delegates expected from major Christian denominations and all six geopolitical zones of Nigeria.
The congress represents Nigeria’s national expression of the Fourth Lausanne Congress on World Evangelisation, which brought together more than 5,000 Christian leaders from over 200 countries in Incheon, South Korea, in September 2024.
The organisers said the Abuja gathering would provide a platform for church leaders and mission practitioners to strengthen collaboration and develop strategies for advancing Christian mission in Nigeria and beyond.
The four-day programme will feature plenary teaching, issue network deliberations, intercessory prayer, intergenerational dialogue and a public commissioning.
Discussions will focus on a range of issues, including frontier missions and unreached peoples, theological education, faith in the public square, business as mission, media and digital innovation, diaspora and migration, as well as student and youth ministry.
Speaking on the significance of the congress, National Chairman of Lausanne Nigeria and General Secretary of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), Rev. Dr. Yunusa Sabo Nmadu Jnr, described Nigeria as both a mission field and an emerging mission force.
“Nigeria is no longer merely a mission field. She is a mission force. More than fifteen thousand Nigerian missionaries are already serving in over fifty countries, while within our own borders more than forty peoples still wait for the gospel,” he said.
Nmadu stressed that the congress was designed to bring together the wider Nigerian Church rather than a select group of Christian leaders.
“This Congress is not for a select few. It is for the whole Church, the whole gospel, the whole world,” he added.
Also speaking, the Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Lausanne Nigeria Christian Missions, Most Rev. Dr. Henry Chukwudum Ndukuba, called for greater unity and collaboration among Christian denominations, mission agencies and generations of leaders.
“For too long we have laboured in parallel. Denominations building alone. Agencies running alone. Generations praying alone. This is our God-given moment to come together as one body, one gospel and one mission force for the nations,” Ndukuba said.
The Lausanne Movement traces its roots to the 1974 International Congress on World Evangelization in Lausanne, Switzerland, convened by renowned evangelist Billy Graham.
The gathering brought together about 2,400 Christian leaders from 150 nations and resulted in the Lausanne Covenant, which was drafted under the chairmanship of British theologian and pastor John R. W. Stott.
The organisers said the partnership between Graham and Stott helped shape the global mission movement for decades, with subsequent milestones including the Manila Manifesto of 1989, the Cape Town Commitment of 2010 and the Seoul Statement of 2024.
The Lausanne Nigeria Congress follows a series of activities aimed at strengthening collaboration among Nigerian church, mission and marketplace leaders.
In March 2026, Lausanne Nigeria hosted the Global Executive Director of the Lausanne Movement, Dr. Michael Oh, in Abuja for a Global Mission Conversation focused on strategic collaboration for global impact.
The October congress is expected to build on that engagement by bringing the conversation to a wider national platform.
Registration Opens
Delegate registration for the congress is currently open and will close on September 30, 2026.
Nigerian delegates are required to pay ₦50,000, while international delegates will pay US$200.
The organisers said group registration is available for denominations, mission agencies, seminaries and professional fellowships sending multiple delegates.
They also announced that sponsorship opportunities are available to support participation by frontier missionaries, younger leaders and delegates from under-resourced regions.
Institutions interested in deeper involvement can also apply to serve as Hosting Organisations for the congress.
Further information and registration details are available through the Lausanne Nigeria platform.
The Lausanne Nigeria Christian Missions said it is the national expression of the global Lausanne Movement in Nigeria and operates as a registered Incorporated Trustee based in Abuja.
Its Board of Trustees is chaired by Most Rev. Dr. Henry Chukwudum Ndukuba, while Rev. Dr. Yunusa Sabo Nmadu Jnr chairs the National Leadership. Dr. Joshua Utele chairs the Central Planning Committee for the 2026 congress.
The global Lausanne Movement is a fellowship of Christian leaders committed to advancing the gospel of Jesus Christ in every nation and sphere of society. It is led by Global Executive Director, Dr. Michael Oh.
For Enquiry call: +234 803 960 8804 or +234 803 973 2643.
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