President Bola Tinubu dispatched a delegation headed by his Senior Special Assistant on Community Engagement in the North Central Zone, Dr Abiodun Essiet, to Plateau State for engagement to restore peace and foster intercommunal harmony in the State.
Essiet, who spent two days in the state during the period, met Christian clerics and Fulani Miyetti Allah community leaders, culminating in a town hall meeting in Jos, Plateau State capital.
According to a statement by presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, delegates from various local government areas, traditional rulers, women, and youth leaders gathered to discuss ways to strengthen community-based peace structures and promote coexistence among diverse communities.
Essiet also paid a courtesy visit to the Chairman of the Regional Church Council (RCC) in Barkin Ladi, Reverend Ezekiel Dachomo, where discussions centred on faith-based leadership and its role in promoting peace, unity, and social development.
Along with Dachomo, the presidential envoy addressed some widows and conveyed Tinubu’s message of fostering ethnic reconciliation in the state.
Dachomo has been the loudest voice of Christian communities in the state.
Essiet also met with Fulani leaders in Barkin Ladi to foster dialogue and mutual understanding between pastoral and farming communities, reaffirming the Federal Government’s commitment to inclusive engagement.
Later in the day, she conducted a workshop on establishing a community peace structure for the 17 Local Government Areas in Jos.
The senior special assistant also held a closed-door meeting with the Irigwe community, the Miyetti Allah group, and the Youth Council of Bassa LGA representatives.
They focused on sustaining peace and discussed how the 17-member peace committee strengthens the two communities’ dialogue, reconciliation, and coexistence.
Essiet reiterated President Tinubu’s unwavering commitment to peace and inclusive governance, noting that the Community-Based Peace Structure serves as a key instrument for grassroots unity, dialogue, and long-term stability in the North Central region.
A quick win in the peace efforts was resolving the conflict between David Toma, the owner of Agha Farm in Gyel District of Jos South and some herdsmen.
Toma had seized two cows following the destruction of his farm on November 15.
However, the Chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders’ Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), 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.
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