President Bola Tinubu has launched a renewed grassroots initiative to stabilise Plateau State, sending a senior aide to engage with religious, ethnic and community groups in an effort to rebuild trust and strengthen intercommunal harmony.
Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga said in a statement on Sunday that Dr Abiodun Essiet, the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Community Engagement (North Central), spent two days in Plateau meeting key stakeholders, including Christian associations, Fulani communities, traditional rulers and youth representatives.
Essiet began her consultations in Barkin Ladi, where she met the Regional Church Council led by Rev Ezekiel Dachomo. Discussions highlighted the strategic role of religious institutions in shaping peaceful coexistence and advancing social development. She also met widows in the area, delivering Tinubu’s message of reconciliation to Christian groups affected by past crises.
In a separate session, Essiet held talks with Fulani leaders aimed at fostering dialogue and mutual respect between pastoralists and farmers. Onanuga said the engagements reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to inclusive, community-led peacebuilding.
A town hall meeting in Jos brought together participants from various local government areas, including women and youth groups, as Essiet led a workshop focused on establishing functional peace structures across Plateau’s 17 LGAs.
Later, in a closed-door meeting with the Irigwe community, the Miyetti Allah group and the Bassa Youth Council, stakeholders discussed fortifying a 17-member peace committee that plays a key role in mediating disputes and promoting reconciliation.
Essiet reiterated that President Tinubu views peace, inclusive governance and long-term stability as central to his agenda for the North-Central region.
According to Onanuga, the peace mission has already yielded results. A longstanding dispute between a Jos South farmer, David Toma, and a group of herders over the destruction of farmland was resolved when the MACBAN chairman in Bassa LGA, Alhaji Isah Yau, paid ₦500,000 in compensation. Two cows seized by the farmer were subsequently released.
Onanuga said all parties signed a commitment to maintain peace, describing the resolution as an encouraging step towards sustained stability in the state.
