The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has extended felicitations to the Christians on the occasion of 2025 Easter celebrations even amid socioeconomic, political and security challenges confronting the nation.
These, the apex northern sociopolitical group said were worsened by corruption, selfish leadership, nepotism, provocative and flamboyant lifestyles of political leaders.
ACF in its Easter message in Kaduna on Sunday, lamented that communities in Benue, Borno, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Katsina, Kaduna, Niger, Plateau, Zamfara, and other states are daily visited with devastating and senseless deaths, destruction, dislocation, tears, and fractured intergroup relations.
In a statement by the Forum’s National Publicity Secretary, Professor Tukur Baba, ACF called on the Christian faithful in the spirit of Easter to pray for peace, security and economic recovery for Nigeria.
It also sought prayers for God to endow the leaders with faith, love for ordinary citizens, and for wisdom to chart Nigeria to the path of righteousness and glory.
“ACF is not unaware that the 2025 Easter Season is being celebrated amid continuing daunting existential socioeconomic, political and, most worryingly, security and criminality challenges. Communities in Benue, Borno, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Katsina, Kaduna, Niger, Plateau, Zamfara, and other states, are daily visited with debilitating and senseless deaths, destruction, dislocation, tears, and fractured intergroup relations.
“Adding to the tragedy are monstrous corruption, selfishness of leaders, nepotism, political insensitivity, inequities, impunity, lack of frugality, provocative and ostentatious lifestyles of political and other office holders, etc,” the ACF said.
Recognising the dire living conditions, particularly in the northern states and in Nigeria in general the Forum lamented that the needed public policy responses to the problems have been grossly inadequate and far from being effective and satisfactory.
“Still, in the spirit of occasion, ACF calls on the Christian brethren to continue to pray for peace, security and economic recovery for Nigeria, for God’s intercession so that Nigeria’s leaders are re-endowed with faith, love for ordinary citizens and the wisdom to chart Nigeria to the path to righteousness and glory,” ACF said.
The Forum also prayed for God to further re-energize the security agencies to crush the reigns of terror, criminality, and insecurity to which non-state actors have subjected the people.
It further prayed God to turn the hearts of terror merchants and their sponsors seeking to destabilise Arewa communities and the Nigeria away from their senseless and callous criminality.
ACF also prays for the conditions which allow and embolden the evil terror merchants to be overcome.
“Believing that a more peaceful, prosperous, and socially harmonious Arewa, and Nigeria, is still possible and plausible, ACF remains hopeful that our communities will emerge more resilient, stronger, hospitable, even more accommodative for all, as opposed to the current culture of pervasive anger, mutual mistrust, intolerance, despair and hopelessness,” ACF said.
