The new leader of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and Minister of Agriculture under President Muhammadu Buhari’s first term, Chief Audu Ogbe, says the North, which covers 78 percent of the Nigeria’s landmass, is faced with the problems of killings day and night which are greater than ever, except during the civil war.
He stated this in Kaduna on Wednesday at the maiden meeting of the newly elected National Working Committee (NWC) of ACF, which he chairs.
In a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting and signed by the Forum’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Emmanuel Yawe, the Chairman was quoted to have said that, “some Nigerians mistake the ACF to be an ethnic, tribal, religious or a political organization. It is none of these. We have over 300 tribes in the north and we cannot afford to be an ethnic organisation.”
According to the communiqué, “the Arewa Consultative Forum which was established in March 2000, held a General Assembly in March 2020 at which a new leadership was elected to fill positions in the forum.”
“Unfortunately, the country and in fact the whole world was gripped by the coronavirus pandemic which forced all of us into a lockdown. In this situation, meetings became impossible. Fortunately, the lockdown has been relaxed and this is why the first meeting of this new leadership was held just today.”
“He said the ACF is not a political party but an organization working for peace and stability in the north. He warned that “if we do not save the north now, we will lose the North.
“Because of the existing tensions and crises leading to a general sense of insecurity, destruction of property and killings in the north, religious, ethnic, traditional and political leaders in the north should be cautious in their utterances and should refrain from making wild and inflammatory utterances that will aggravate the situation.” “Federal and state governments must take urgent steps to arrest the deteriorating security situation in northern Nigeria which has led to insurgency, terrorism, banditry, ethnic and religious disturbances all over the north.
The group advised state governments of the northern region to pay adequate attention to agriculture which offers more opportunities for diversification and the development of a more sustainable economy for the north and the country.
“School enrollments have remained low in the northern region. State governors of the north should take urgent steps to enhance school enrolment and eradicate the rampant incidence of street begging which is very unhealthy for the overall development of the north.