We Rank Higher In Poverty And Illiteracy, But We Won’t Join National Protest – AREWA

The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), a northern Nigerian socio-political organization, has recently emphasized that the region continues to face significant challenges in the areas of human development, particularly with regard to poverty, illiteracy, health, and security. The ACF made this statement while distancing itself from the planned nationwide protest against poor governance, which it described as both ill-timed and potentially harmful to the country’s progress.

During a visit to Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State, the Chairman of the ACF, Mamman Osuman, articulated the forum’s position. He emphasized that the ACF is not a party to the planned national protest and will not lend its support, as it believes the action is ill-timed and counterproductive. Osuman further explained that the purpose of this visit was to promote a deeper and wider dialogue around the current crises of insecurity and poverty affecting Northern Nigeria. He noted that the establishment of the ACF in 2000 was driven by a similar crisis of widespread insecurity and strife, with the intention of bringing together representatives of the diverse peoples of Northern Nigeria, regardless of their political, ethnic, or religious affiliations, on a single platform.

The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has established a “Citizens’ or Elders’ Council” to monitor issues and developments that could potentially lead to disharmony, conflicts, or crises across the North, and to promote development. At the state level, our chapters operate using the same framework. Despite our diligent efforts, the achievement of peace, unity, and progress in the North remains a work in progress. The region continues to lag behind on key indicators of human development, such as poverty, illiteracy, health, and security of life and property. There is still a great deal of work to be done, and it is incumbent upon our leaders and citizens alike to change this narrative without further delay.
The ACF remains committed to articulating and defending the interests of the people of the North through our various activities. One such effort was the recently constituted Technical Committee that reviewed the 1999 Constitution (as amended) on behalf of the ACF. The report of the Technical Committee formed the basis of the ACF’s submission to the joint committees of the National Assembly on the Constitution review process. Our input will be formally made available to the Northern Governors’ Forum.