The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement (North Central), Abiodun Essiet, has commenced a three-day working visit to Kwara State, convening a Citizens’ Assembly and holding high-level security consultations as part of efforts to deepen inclusive governance and strengthen grassroots-security collaboration.

The visit, which began in Ilorin on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, is designed to reinforce the interface between the Federal Government and communities in the North Central zone, with a strong focus on citizen participation, local development priorities, and community-based peacebuilding.

A key highlight of the engagement is a physical session of the Citizens’ Assembly, a participatory platform that brings together diverse stakeholders to provide structured feedback on government policies and interventions.

Discussions at the session are expected to centre on social inclusion, delivery of palliatives, conflict mitigation, and strategies for improving public trust in governance. Security forms a major component of the visit.

According to her office, the engagements will explore ways to enhance community-security collaboration, improve early warning mechanisms, and promote safer environments to support sustainable development across Kwara State.

On the first day of her visit, Essiet paid strategic visits to the State Security Service (SSS) and the Kwara State Commissioner of Police as part of efforts to align her community outreach initiatives with security institutions.

She met with Adekemi Ojo, where discussions focused on the prevailing security situation in the state, intelligence sharing at the community level, and collaborative strategies to sustain peace through proactive grassroots engagement.

The meetings, sources said, were aimed at formally briefing security agencies on the scope of the Citizens’ Assembly and related outreach programmes, while strengthening coordination between her office and security formations operating within the state.

Beyond security agencies, the presidential aide is also scheduled to undertake courtesy and working visits to traditional rulers and host communities across Kwara, in what officials describe as a feedback-driven approach to governance.

The Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement (North Central) was established in 2023 under Bola Tinubu to serve as a bridge between the Federal Government and grassroots communities in Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Plateau states and the FCT.

The office coordinates zonal engagement efforts through state coordinators and works closely with traditional leaders, youth groups, women associations, and civil society actors to promote dialogue, peace-building and citizen feedback on federal policies, particularly in areas of security and social interventions.

In recent months, the Presidential aide has led similar interventions in conflict-prone areas, including Omala Local Government Area of Kogi State, where palliatives were distributed following farmer-herder clashes.