In a bid to tackle recurring communal clashes, farmer-herder conflicts, and promote intercommunal harmony in Plateau State, President Bola Tinubu has deployed an emissary, Dr. Abiodun Essiet, to the region.

Dr. Essiet, a Senior Special Assistant on Community Engagement for the North Central Zone, spent two days in the state, engaging with religious leaders, community stakeholders, and youth representatives.

According to a statement by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Dr. Essiet met Christian clerics and Fulani Miyetti Allah leaders, culminating in a town hall meeting in Jos. Delegates from local governments, traditional rulers, women, and youth leaders discussed strategies to strengthen community-based peace structures and foster coexistence.

During her visit, Dr. Essiet paid a courtesy call to Reverend Ezekiel Dachomo, Chairman of the Regional Church Council in Barkin Ladi, where discussions centered on faith-based leadership and its role in promoting peace, unity, and social development. She also met widows and conveyed President Tinubu’s message of ethnic reconciliation.

Dr. Essiet further engaged Fulani leaders in Barkin Ladi to encourage dialogue and mutual understanding between pastoral and farming communities, reaffirming the Federal Government’s commitment to inclusive engagement. She conducted a workshop aimed at establishing community peace structures across 17 local government areas in Jos, and held closed-door sessions with the Irigwe community, Miyetti Allah representatives, and youth council members of Bassa LGA to strengthen dialogue and reconciliation.

A notable achievement of the visit was the resolution of a local dispute involving David Toma, owner of Agha Farm in Gyel district, and some herders over seized cows. On November 15, the MACBAN Chairman of Bassa LGA, Alhaji Isah Yau, paid N500,000 in compensation to Toma, who returned the cows. All parties signed an undertaking to maintain peace in the state.

Dr. Essiet emphasized President Tinubu’s commitment to peace and inclusive governance, highlighting the Community-Based Peace Structure as a key instrument for grassroots unity and long-term stability in the North Central region.