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In a bid to restore peace and strengthen intercommunal harmony in Plateau State, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu dispatched his emissary, Dr. Abiodun Essiet, to the state on Thursday, November 16.
A statement by Presidential aide Bayo Onanuga revealed that Essiet, who serves as the Senior Special Assistant on Community Engagement for the North Central Zone, spent two days in the state meeting with key stakeholders. Her engagements included discussions with Christian clerics and Fulani Miyetti Allah community leaders, culminating in a town hall meeting in Jos. Delegates from various local government areas, traditional rulers, women, and youth leaders gathered to explore strategies for enhancing community-based peace structures and promoting coexistence among diverse groups.
Essiet paid a courtesy visit to Reverend Ezekiel Dachomo, Chairman of the Regional Church Council (RCC) in Barkin Ladi, where conversations focused on faith-based leadership and its role in fostering peace, unity, and social development. Addressing some widows alongside Dachomo, she conveyed President Tinubu’s message of ethnic reconciliation. Dachomo has long been a prominent voice for Christian communities in the state.
She also held a meeting with Fulani leaders in Barkin Ladi aimed at deepening dialogue and mutual understanding between pastoral and farming communities, reaffirming the Federal Government’s commitment to inclusive engagement. Later in the day, she facilitated a workshop on developing community peace structures across the 17 Local Government Areas in Jos.
In addition, Essiet hosted a closed-door session with representatives of the Irigwe community, the Miyetti Allah group, and the Youth Council of Bassa LGA. Discussions centred on sustaining peace and strengthening the work of the 17-member peace committee responsible for driving dialogue, reconciliation, and coexistence between the groups.
Dr. Essiet reiterated President Tinubu’s unwavering commitment to peace and inclusive governance, noting that the Community-Based Peace Structure remains a vital tool for promoting grassroots unity, dialogue, and long-term stability in the North Central region.
Onanuga added that an early success of the renewed peace efforts was the resolution of a dispute between David Toma, owner of Agha Farm in the Gyel district of Jos South, and some herdsmen. Toma had seized two cows after his farm was destroyed. On November 15, the MACBAN Chairman of Bassa LGA, Alhaji Isah Yau, paid N500,000 in compensation to Toma, who then released the cows. All parties subsequently signed an undertaking to embrace peace in the state.
