The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement (North Central), Abiodun Essiet, has begun a three-day official visit to Kwara State, organising a Citizens’ Assembly and conducting high-level security discussions as part of moves to advance inclusive governance and reinforce grassroots-security cooperation.
The visit, which commenced in Ilorin on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, is aimed at strengthening engagement between the Federal Government and communities across the North Central zone, with emphasis on citizen involvement, local development needs, and community-driven peacebuilding.
A major feature of the programme is the in-person session of the Citizens’ Assembly, a participatory forum that gathers a broad range of stakeholders to offer structured input on government policies and initiatives.
Deliberations at the session are projected to focus on social inclusion, distribution of palliatives, conflict resolution, and measures to boost public confidence in governance. Security constitutes a central element of the visit.
According to her office, the engagements are set to examine strategies for improving community-security partnerships, enhancing early warning systems, and fostering safer communities to drive sustainable development across Kwara State.
On the opening day of the visit, Essiet made strategic calls to the State Security Service (SSS) and the Kwara State Commissioner of Police in a bid to harmonise her community outreach programmes with security institutions.
She held talks with Adekemi Ojo, with discussions centring on the current security landscape in the state, grassroots intelligence sharing, and joint approaches to maintaining peace through proactive community engagement.
Sources disclosed that the meetings were designed to formally brief security agencies on the scope of the Citizens’ Assembly and associated outreach initiatives, while deepening coordination between her office and security formations operating in the state.
In addition to meeting security agencies, the presidential aide is scheduled to pay courtesy and working visits to traditional rulers and host communities across Kwara, in what officials described as a feedback-oriented governance model.
The Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement (North Central) was created in 2023 under Bola Tinubu to function as a liaison between the Federal Government and grassroots communities in Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Plateau states and the FCT.
The office oversees zonal engagement activities through state coordinators and collaborates closely with traditional institutions, youth organisations, women groups, and civil society stakeholders to advance dialogue, peace-building, and citizen feedback on federal policies, particularly in the areas of security and social interventions.
In recent months, the presidential aide has spearheaded similar outreach efforts in conflict-affected communities, including Omala Local Government Area of Kogi State, where palliatives were shared following farmer-herder clashes.
