The apex northern sociocultural group, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has set up two special committees to recommend blueprints for addressing key, pressing and critical issues of concern to Northern Nigeria.
The action is in furtherance of the resolution reached at the Forum’s Board of Trustees (BOT) meeting on September 4, 2024,
Membership of the committees was arrived at after due consultations with leaders of thought as to their wealth of experience and commitment to the relevant issues on hand.
According to a statement issued by the national ACF publicity secretary, Professor Tukur Muhammad-Baba, the Unity, Peace and Reconciliation Committee is predicated on the observation made about the deteriorating state of inter-group relations among the various Northern communities, which have been inimical to peaceful coexistence and development.
The committee proposed realistic mechanisms for strengthening unity in the North and reinforcing regular consultations and dialogue mechanisms. This committee has Dr Yayale Ahmed (Ajiyan Katagum) as chairman, and Babachir Lawal as his deputy
The Committee on Security is predicated on the unabating state of insecurity in the North. It aims to suggest ways out of the quagmire given its devastating effects on the people. This committee has former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Abdulrahman Dambazau (rtd) as chairman, and Alhaji Mohammed D. Abubakar, a retired Inspector General of Police, as deputy chairman.
Alhaji Bashir Dalhatu and Wazirin Dutse inaugurated the committees in Abuja on 30 September and 1 October 2024, respectively, and they are expected to submit their reports to the ACF by mid-November 2024.
The ACF, in turn, will consider and discuss the reports and recommendations with the governors of the Northern states before submission to the federal government and agencies responsible for security as necessary or appropriate.
