By Amofokhai Williams
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is set to make a swift but symbolically charged visit to Plateau State on Saturday, touching down in the restive northern hub of Jos to pay respects at the funeral of the mother of the All Progressives Congress (APC) national chairman.
Tinubu will also address a gathering of influential church leaders from across the region.
The one-day trip, announced on Friday evening by Bayo Onanuga, the president’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, underscores Tinubu’s ongoing efforts to consolidate party loyalty and mend ties with key religious stakeholders in Nigeria’s volatile Middle Belt.
Departing Lagos early Saturday morning, Tinubu will first attend funeral prayers for Nana Lydia Yilwatda Goshwe, who passed away on August 18 at the age of 83 after a life marked by faith, humility, and community service.
Nana Goshwe was the matriarch of a prominent Plateau family, raising a lineage that includes her son, Professor Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda (often referred to as Nentawe Yilwatda), the APC’s national chairman since his unanimous election in July 2025.
A former Plateau State governorship candidate in 2023, engineer, and academic with a focus on humanitarian causes and poverty alleviation, Yilwatda’s ascension to the party’s top post followed the resignation of Abdullahi Ganduje, marking a shift toward younger, regionally diverse leadership within the ruling APC.
The funeral, delayed nearly two months possibly due to family or logistical considerations, has drawn widespread condolences from political circles, including APC wards and local figures like Hon. Wilson Gogwim, who lauded Nana Goshwe’s legacy of sacrifice and compassion.
Her burial rites, set for October 4 in Jos, represent a poignant moment for Yilwatda, whose tenure as chairman has been tested by internal party frictions and national economic headwinds.
Following the somber proceedings, Tinubu’s itinerary shifts to diplomacy with the clergy. He is slated to deliver remarks at the headquarters of the Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN), a powerhouse Presbyterian denomination with deep roots in Plateau and the broader North.
The address to “Church Leaders across the North” comes at a sensitive juncture, as the region grapples with recurring ethno-religious clashes, including farmer-herder violence that has claimed hundreds of lives in Plateau alone over the past year.
Critics have accused the federal government of inadequate response, though Tinubu’s administration has touted security reforms, including the appointment of Christian officers to top posts like Chief of Defence Staff General Christopher Gwabin Musa.
