The Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, has lambasted President Bola Tinubu, saying his economic policies are impoverishing Nigerians.
In a communiqué issued after its National Executive Council, NEC, meeting in Kaduna on Wednesday, the ACF called on Mr Tinubu to review his reforms to ensure they reflect greater sensitivity to the plight of Nigerians.
The communiqué, signed by the national publicity secretary of the forum, Tukur Muhammad-Baba, said the policies introduced by the current administration have worsened the hardship faced by the average Nigerian, especially in the Northern region.
The communique read: “The policies of the current Federal Government have continued to make matters much worse, with little indications of needed sensitivity to the precarious existential conditions of Arewa people.
“The time to think big is now. 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.”
The forum also lamented over the growing insecurity in the region, saying,”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 North is currently under siege from various threats, including bandits, terrorists, and kidnappers. These incidents have become all too common, and the people of Arewa cannot continue to live under such threats.
“Statistics of out-of-school children, of which Arewa has an overwhelming proportion, are cogent pointers to the situation,” the forum noted, urging the Federal Government to prioritise educational reforms.
“Despite the dire economic conditions in Arewa, the policies of the current Federal Government have continued to worsen the situation, showing little sensitivity to the precarious existential challenges faced by the Arewa people,” it said.
The ACF, however, urged northern governors to adopt a strong, coordinated approach to policy planning and implementation, particularly in areas such as security, education, and agricultural production
“Succinctly stated, economic reforms, while indeed desirable, should not impoverish the same people they are meant to serve; the people may not be alive to reap the putative benefits,” Mr Muhammad-Baba said.
He said: “In view of the above, the meeting resolved as follows: calls on the Federal Government under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to review, reassess, reevaluate, and re-order the direction of its economic policies with a view to giving it the needed human face.
“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.”
The forum also urged the northern elite, 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 with every short- and long-term measure, including imports where needs be, 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 utmost urgency.”
Speaking on the rising insecurity in the North, the ACF decried the persistent activities of bandits and terrorists,which have resulted in widespread killings and abductions.
