President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has dispatched a presidential emissary to Plateau State as part of renewed efforts to restore peace and strengthen intercommunal harmony across the state.
According to a statement by Presidential Spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, the emissary, Dr Abiodun Essiet, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement (North-Central), spent two days in the state last week, engaging Christian clerics, Fulani community leaders under Miyetti Allah, and other key stakeholders on practical strategies to reinforce community-based peace structures.
Her engagements culminated in a town hall meeting in Jos, where delegates from various local government areas, traditional rulers, women’s groups, and youth leaders deliberated on ways to deepen coexistence and promote sustainable peace among Plateau’s diverse ethnic and religious communities.
Reiterating President Tinubu’s unwavering commitment to peacebuilding and inclusive governance, the presidential envoy also held a closed-door meeting with the Irigwe community, Miyetti Allah representatives, and the Bassa Local Government Youth Council.
Discussions focused on ‘strengthening the 17-member peace committee responsible for dialogue, reconciliation, and conflict prevention in the area.’
Dr Essiet further facilitated a workshop on establishing community peace structures across the 17 Local Government Areas of Plateau State.
She noted that “the Community-Based Peace Structure remains a vital tool for grassroots unity, dispute mediation, and long-term stability in the North-Central region.”
In Barkin Ladi, the emissary paid a courtesy visit to Reverend Ezekiel Dachomo, Chairman of the Regional Church Council (RCC), where they discussed the critical role of faith-based leadership in promoting peace, unity, and social development.
Reverend Dachomo, widely regarded as a leading voice of the Christian community in the state, reaffirmed “the Church’s commitment to supporting ongoing peace efforts.”
She also met with widows and conveyed President Tinubu’s message of ethnic reconciliation, before proceeding to engage Fulani leaders in Barkin Ladi to foster dialogue and understanding between pastoral and farming communities, an approach she said reflects the Nigerian Government’s commitment to inclusive engagement.
A notable early achievement of the peace mission was the resolution of a conflict involving Mr. David Toma, owner of Agha Farm in Gyel district of Jos South, and some herdsmen whose cattle destroyed parts of his farm.
After Toma seized two cows in protest, the Chairman of MACBAN in Bassa LGA, Alhaji Isah Yau, paid N500,000 in compensation on November 15. The cows were released, and all parties signed an undertaking to maintain peace.