President Bola Tinubu has sent Dr Abiodun Essiet to Plateau State to tackle recurring communal conflicts, ease tensions between farmers and herders, and foster harmony among diverse communities, the presidency announced on Sunday, November 16.
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, said Essiet, Senior Special Assistant on Community Engagement for the North Central Zone, spent two days in Plateau starting Thursday, meeting with key community and religious leaders.
“Essiet paid a courtesy visit to Reverend Ezekiel Dachomo, Chairman of the Regional Church Council (RCC), in Barkin Ladi, where discussions centred on faith-based leadership and its role in promoting peace, unity, and social development,” Onanuga stated.
During her visit, Essiet also met widows and delivered President Tinubu’s message of ethnic reconciliation.
She engaged Fulani Miyetti Allah leaders to encourage dialogue and mutual understanding between pastoralists and farming communities.
The envoy convened a town hall in Jos attended by traditional rulers, youth and women leaders, and delegates from across the 17 local government areas, focusing on the establishment of community-based peace structures.
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“Later in the day, she conducted a workshop on establishing a community peace structure for the 17 Local Government Areas in Jos,” the statement added.
In private sessions, Essiet met with the Irigwe community, Miyetti Allah representatives, and Bassa LGA youth leaders, emphasizing reconciliation and coexistence.
A notable early achievement during her visit was the resolution of a conflict involving David Toma, owner of Agha Farm in Gyel, and herders.
“On November 15, the MACBAN Chairman of BASSA LGA, Alhaji Isah Yau, paid a compensation of N500,000 to Toma, who subsequently released the cows. All parties signed an undertaking to embrace peace in the state,” the statement concluded.
Essiet underscored President Tinubu’s commitment to inclusive governance and lasting peace across Plateau and the broader North Central region.