Arewa Consultative Forum Urges President Tinubu To Address Northern Challenges

The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to take urgent and decisive action to tackle insecurity, education challenges, and economic hardship in Northern Nigeria. The pan-northern socio-political organization made this appeal in a communiqué issued after its National Executive Council meeting held in Kaduna on Wednesday.

Concerns Over Economic Policies

The ACF expressed dissatisfaction with the current economic policies of the Federal Government, claiming they have exacerbated the hardships faced by the people in the region.

“Economic reforms, while indeed desirable, should not impoverish the very people they are meant to serve. The policies of the Federal Government have continued to worsen the situation with little sensitivity to the precarious challenges faced by the Arewa people,” the communiqué stated.

The forum urged President Tinubu to reassess and review these policies to ensure they reflect a “human face,” especially given the growing food crisis and widespread poverty in the North. It stressed the importance of achieving food self-sufficiency while addressing electricity supply issues to promote development.

Escalating Insecurity

Insecurity remains a major concern for the ACF, which noted the alarming rate of banditry, terrorism, kidnappings, and other violent crimes in the region. The forum emphasized that ensuring security is a fundamental responsibility of any government.

“Those whose responsibility it is to provide security saying they are doing their best is unacceptable. The minimum duty of the government is to safeguard life and property, and doing anything less is a failure,” the communiqué noted.

The forum’s chairman, Mamman Mike Osuman (SAN), lamented that the North is under siege from various threats and called for immediate, coordinated action among governors, legislators, and traditional leaders to address the crisis.

Education Crisis

The ACF highlighted the dire state of education in the North, particularly the high number of out-of-school children. It urged northern governors to adopt a stronger, unified approach to improving education and skills acquisition in the region.

“Statistics of out-of-school children, of which Arewa has an overwhelming proportion, are cogent pointers to the situation. Far more needs to be done to reverse this trend,” the forum stated.

Recommendations for Collective Action

The forum outlined several resolutions, including:

•Reviewing economic policies: Ensure reforms alleviate hardship rather than deepen it.

•Addressing food insecurity: Implement short-term measures such as food imports while striving for long-term self-sufficiency.

•Tackling insecurity: Develop local strategies to combat crimes such as banditry, terrorism, and illegal mining.

•Promoting education: Increase investment in education and create policies to address the high number of out-of-school children.

•Improving governance: Encourage northern governors to collaborate on policy implementation across security, health, education, and agriculture sectors.

•Encouraging public responsibility: Advocate for population control through public policy and legislation.

Support for the League of Northern Democrats

The ACF also endorsed the Shekarau-led League of Northern Democrats, a group formed to address socio-political and economic challenges in the North. While aligning with the group’s goals, the forum stressed the importance of focusing on immediate solutions over long-term political strategies.

“We must prioritize economic empowerment, education, infrastructure, and security to revitalize the North,” Osuman stated.

The ACF called on all northern elites to contribute actively to the region’s development, counter negative narratives, and embrace community service to ensure the region’s progress.