By James Peters
The country’s instability has reached a “state of war,” according to the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), which is urging the Federal Government to take drastic and immediate action to resolve the situation. This was the result of the 38th Board of Trustees meeting of the ACF, which took place in Abuja.
The forum stated in its communiqué that Nigeria’s security issues, which include ongoing communal conflicts, banditry and mass kidnappings in the North-West and North-Central, and insurgency in the North-East, have grown into a larger problem endangering the country’s stability.
It emphasized that the issue must be handled as a national emergency and cautioned that the scope, tenacity, and human cost of the violence necessitate a radical change in national priorities.
From insurgency in the North-East, banditry and mass kidnappings throughout the North-West and North-Central, ongoing intercommunal conflicts, and violent conflict between farmers and herders, Nigeria’s security crisis has developed into a state of full-scale war that now jeopardizes the country’s continued existence as we know it. A fundamental change in national priorities is necessary due to the scope, persistence, and human cost of violence.
The group declared that the time has come for Nigeria’s leadership to handle this crisis as a national emergency rather than as one problem among many. It bemoaned the hundreds of thousands of Nigerians who have been slaughtered or forced to flee their homes in Borno, the Plateau, Niger, Kwara, and numerous other locations.
It further stated that families have been destroyed, entire towns have been traumatized, and members of the military forces, including senior officials, were among the casualties.
In addition, there are numerous members of the armed forces, including highly senior military officers. Entire generations have been scarred, families have been broken, and livelihoods have been ruined.
The conference cautioned that Nigeria’s economy, especially agriculture in the country’s northern areas, is currently being seriously undermined by insecurity, with supply chain and farming disruptions exacerbating inflation and rural economic collapse.
It claimed that Nigeria’s economy is currently being directly harmed by insecurity. There is a serious threat to agriculture, particularly in the North. Rural economies are disintegrating, supply systems are broken, and inflation is getting worse.
The cost of fixing a problem increases with its duration. Redirecting national resources to security is a necessary condition for economic development, not a diversion from it.
According to the group, extreme threats necessitate extraordinary responses, hence a war-time strategy is necessary. Nigeria must temporarily halt or reduce funding for non-essential projects and concentrate national resources, energy, and leadership on ending the security issue as soon as possible.
This does not imply giving up on development; rather, it calls for proper sequencing: secure the country first, then develop it.
The forum reaffirmed that putting security first should not be interpreted as ignoring development, but rather as a prerequisite for it.
It emphasized that Nigeria is at a crucial juncture. The nation’s future, stability, and lives are all at risk due to the escalation. Furthermore, significant national progress would remain unachievable unless Nigerians could live, work, and travel without fear.
Prominent northerners, including former Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Abubakar, former Chief of Army Staff Tukur Buratai, former President of the United Nations General Assembly Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, and Mahmud Ahmed, attended the meeting, which was presided over by Bashir Dalhatu.
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