By Cross Udo, Abuja
The Presidency on Monday identified historical mistrust, land-grabbing, banditry, and illegal mining as the key drivers of persistent violence and bloodshed in Nigeria’s North-Central region, which has claimed thousands of lives and displaced entire communities in recent years.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement (North-Central), Dr Abiodun Essiet, disclosed while briefing State House correspondents after she and three other presidential aides met with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The meeting, which brought together the President’s aides on community engagement from four geopolitical zones, focused on insecurity, infrastructure deficits, and citizens’ response to government policies.
Those in attendance included Abdullahi Tanko-Yakasai (Northwest), Chioma Nweze (Southeast), and Moremi Ojudu (Southwest).
Essiet said insecurity in the North-Central remains “deeply rooted in unresolved historical tensions and resource conflicts,” adding that the situation has been worsened by the activities of armed groups exploiting weak local governance and inadequate development.
“Our briefing focused heavily on insecurity, and we identified historical mistrust, land-grabbing, banditry, and illegal mining as major triggers of violence,” she said. “The President has promised to strengthen peace structures and ensure our communities are safe.”
She revealed that community peace structures have already been established across 121 local government areas, including 32 in Niger, 21 in Kogi, and 23 in Benue, with deployment expected this week to all 17 LGAs in Plateau State.
The structures, according to her, will involve traditional rulers, farmers’ associations, Fulani leaders, youth, and women in grassroots peace-building and conflict-resolution efforts.
Essiet also linked rising insecurity to poor infrastructure, terrible roads along the Kogi–Kwara corridor, which she said had become “a strategic escape route for bandits.”
She added that President Tinubu pledged to liaise with relevant ministries to address the infrastructural challenge urgently.
Speaking on the Northwest, SSA Abdullahi Tanko-Yakasai stated that efforts were underway to reduce the region’s high number of out-of-school children.
His office, he noted, has facilitated school enrolment for many vulnerable children, providing uniforms, books, and learning materials.
He further reported progress in agricultural output but noted that access to fertiliser remained a challenge, adding that President Tinubu had promised intervention.
Tanko-Yakasai also highlighted the team’s grassroots campaigns on voter registration, the student loan scheme, and tax reforms, describing their role as “a bridge between the Federal Government and the people.”
For the Southeast, SSA Chioma Nweze said her zone had “hit the ground running” through the establishment of a Citizens’ Assembly designed to enhance dialogue between the people and government.
She said ongoing road construction projects and recent ministerial appointments have restored confidence in federal presence, while the once-enforced Monday sit-at-home order was gradually losing relevance.
“It’s been a long time since we saw federal presence in the Southeast. But now, we are seeing significant road construction courtesy of this administration,” she said.
She added that the President had assured the zone of expanded skills acquisition and agricultural programmes across its 95 local government areas.
In her remarks, SSA Moremi Ojudu, representing the Southwest, described the meeting as “insightful,” noting that President Tinubu stressed the urgency of expanding National Identification Number (NIN) enrolment to strengthen national identity management.
She said the team would intensify grassroots sensitisation to deepen understanding of the Renewed Hope Agenda and bolster peace-building initiatives nationwide.
“We owe it to ourselves to safeguard this country. We have nowhere else to go,” Ojudu stated, adding that the President also directed the aides to collaborate with key stakeholders on livestock reforms in the North-Central.
Representatives from the South-South and North-East zones were absent due to official engagements.
President Tinubu inaugurated the Presidential Community Engagement Team to drive grassroots mobilisation, strengthen federal-citizen communication, and provide real-time feedback on government programmes and security interventions across the six geopolitical zones.
