Chieftains of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) have unanimously agreed that the interests of the North will be best served by Northerners, while calling on the region to take responsibility for its fast-growing population.
This position was outlined in a communiqué signed by Prof. Tukur Muhammad Baba, the National Publicity Secretary of the ACF, and made available to journalists following the Forum’s National Executive Council meeting in Kaduna on Wednesday.
The communiqué reads: ACF National Executive Council Meets; Reviews Activities, Appraises State of Arewa and the Nation
“A meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) took place at the organisation’s headquarters in Kaduna on Wednesday, 20th September, 2024. Delegates at the meeting came from states in Arewa as well as the Diaspora Chapter, presided over by the NEC Chairman, Mamman Mike Osuman, SAN, OFR. The meeting reviewed ACF’s activities since its meeting of May 2024.”
“In his opening remarks, the Chairman welcomed members and noted with satisfaction the resurgence of ACF as the leading socio-cultural organisation, which seeks to unify the various and diverse peoples of the North under a common vision and mission, united in pursuit of the collective interests of the Arewa people within the context of Nigeria. The Chairman enjoined members to remain focused, foremost on the interests of Arewa as well as the goals and objectives of ACF, as there is a whole lot that needs to be done and time is running out.
“The Chairman enjoined chapters to remain purpose-driven, disavowing religious and ethnic differences, but to strive to be accommodating and ensure harmonious relationships with state governors. The meeting expressed satisfaction with the reinvigorated and rejuvenated ACF, urging state chapters to emulate the National body by rising to be counted and visible in articulating the vision and mission of ACF at their respective levels.
“Arising from the meeting, the state of Arewa and the Nigerian nation were reviewed from the perspective of ACF as the voice of Northern Nigeria, focusing on the economy, existential conditions, politics, security, social challenges, peace, coexistence, and political development.
“Security is an irreducible minimum of human existence. In this regard, insecurity in its various manifestations remains the most worrisome challenge of the Arewa people, which has even started to corrosively undermine the authority of government; such that people have started to ask what the purpose of government is! That those whose responsibility it is to provide security will be saying they are doing their best is unacceptable. The minimum duty of government is to safeguard life and property, and doing anything less is a failure.
“Leadership selection appears flawed, which allows so many people without competence and/or experience to rise to positions of power and authority. This has to be addressed. There is also a tendency to base politics on personalities, not issues, and this has compounded the sorry state of affairs. Arewa must ask how this came to be and what can be done to redress the situation.
“Not enough can be said about the sorry state of education in Arewa, secular and religious. Statistics of out-of-school children, of which Arewa has an overwhelming proportion, are cogent pointers to the situation. A lot has been done, but the truth is, far more needs to be done such that it looks as if nothing is being done. Indeed, Arewa may well ask itself if the insufficiency and inadequacy of education are not directly correlated to the multitudes of problems bedeviling the region.
Members expressed displeasure at the current and continuing impoverishment of the proverbial common men and women in the country due to the economic policies of the current administration. The meeting noted in particular that Arewa people remain at great disadvantage, being already relatively worse off economically compared to other parts of Nigeria.
“Livelihoods are currently dependent on micro activities. The region faces acute and chronic food insecurity, and its youths lack education and skills training. Daunting as these may be, they can be reversed. The time to think big is now. Notwithstanding the parlous state of Arewa’s glaringly challenging economic conditions, the policies of the current Federal Government have continued to make matters much worse, with little indication of needed sensitivity to the precarious existential conditions of the Arewa people.
“Calls on the Federal Government under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to review, reassess, reevaluate, and reorder the direction of its economic policies with a view to giving them the needed human face.
“Strongly calls on the governors of the Northern states to adopt a strong, coordinated approach to policy planning and implementation, particularly in the areas of security, education, skills acquisition, agricultural production, and health services.
“Calls on the Federal Government to be receptive to criticisms and suggestions, not only in line with the principles of democracy but also because they improve, not retard, the policy process for the ultimate benefit of the people.
“Calls on Northern elites, in all spheres of life, to take it upon themselves to counter negative narratives about the North and also imbibe the spirit of community service, individually and collectively. The interests of the North will be best served by Northerners.
“People should take responsibility for our fast-growing population. Public policy and the law should be adopted to achieve a balance.
“Poor electricity supply will continue to hamper efforts to ameliorate poverty, unemployment, and underdevelopment in the region. These have to be addressed with utmost urgency.
