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The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has issued a communiqué shortly after its meeting and faulted the economic policies of President Bola Tinubu for their alleged lack of a human face.
The communiqué, which was signed by the National Publicity Secretary of ACF, Prof. Tukur Muhammad-Baba, said, “Notwithstanding the parlous state of Arewa’s glaring challenging economic conditions, the policies of the current Federal Government have continued to make matters much worse, with little indication of the needed sensitivity to the precarious existential conditions of Arewa people.
“Succinctly stated, economic reforms, while indeed desirable, should not impoverish the same people that they are meant to serve; the people may not be alive to reap the putative benefits.
“The meeting noted in particular that Arewa people remain at a great disadvantage, being already relatively worse off economically compared to other parts of Nigeria. Livelihoods are currently dependent on micro activities.
“We resolved and call 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.
“ACF strongly calls on the governors of the Northern States to adopt a strong, coordinated approach to policy planning and implementation, as these relate to security, education, skills acquisition, agricultural production, health services, etc.
“We call on the Federal Government to be receptive to criticisms, suggestions, etc., 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.
“We call 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.
“The growing food crisis requires both short- and long-term measures, including imports where necessary, but the ultimate solution is to achieve food self-sufficiency.
“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 the utmost urgency.”
The communiqué enjoined state chapters of ACF to remain purpose-driven, disavowing religious and ethnic differences, but striving to be accommodating and reaching out to ensure a harmonious relationship with state governors.
The meeting expressed satisfaction with the reinvigorated and rejuvenated ACF, urging the state chapters to follow the example of the national body by also rising to be counted and visible in articulating the vision and missions of ACF at their respective levels.
“Security is an irreducible minimum of human existence. In this regard, insecurity in its various manifestations remains the most worrisome challenge for Arewa people, and 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 would 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, allowing 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, both 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 may seem 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 bedevilling the region.
“The meeting emphasized the need for people to talk to each other and not relent on this. There is a dire need for Arewa people to organise if we are to avert social conflict and disintegration—and with it, Nigeria.
“ACF members expressed displeasure at the current and continuing improvisation of the proverbial common men and women in the country due to the economic policies of the current administration.
“The region faces acute and chronic food insecurity; its youths lack education and skills training. Daunting as these may be, they can be reversed. The time to think big is now,” the communiqué added.
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