North central pulls out of Arewa Consultative Forum

Leaders of the north-central region have pulled out of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) to float a new group called the North-Central Peoples Forum.

The new group was part of efforts to tackle the challenges of rising security concerns in the north-central.

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The organisation, Daily Trust learnt, would be a non-partisan with sole aim of promoting peace and unity among the ethnic identities in the region.

Jerry Useni, has been named as the chairman of the board of trustees of the new group, while Gabriel Aduku, former minister of state for health, was appointed as the interim chairman.

Addressing journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, Useni said the new group is similar to the socio-political platforms which various regions use to fight for their interest.

“It is in the light of the foregoing that it becomes imperative and pertinent for us as a zone to rise to the challenges and launch our own geopolitical platform from where we can draw the attention of relevant authorities on the need to address various socio-economic, political and securities challenges ravaging our zone.

“Those of you who are present here today should consider yourself as the voice and true representative of your people whom they have known to have at one time or the other represented them fully at various level.

“Therefore, no sacrifice will be too much on our side to give the people of the zone the peace and development they desire from us as their leaders.

“We will support and cooperate fully with the federal government for full and complete implementation of infrastructures, development projects situated in the zone and the involvement of the people of the zone in the national affairs of the country.”

On his part Aduku said, “In the face of all the above great endowments and potentials, which should have made the zone both political, economic and socio-cultural hub of Nigeria, it is unfortunately bedevilled by security and developmental challenges of unprecedented dimensions.

“In terms of insecurity, it is an incontrovertible fact that almost in all states of the zone are people being killed and kidnapped regularly. Lives within the zone have ceased to be sacred.

“The leaders of the forum are no longer interested in the unending theories about the killings, but that they must stop. These have thus made our dear giant an endangered species amongst the comity of the six geopolitical zones of the federation.”