The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has alleged that there is a plan by the Federal Government to break up the North for selfish political gains. Chairman of the National Executive Council (NEC) of the Forum, Alhaji Ibrahim Coomassie, said at an emergency meeting with NGOs from the region that the Federal Government was working to disunite the region and reduce its population.
He said though it was the Federal Governments’ responsibility to protect the lives and property of every citizen, “What we are witnessing today is a complete reversal of that role.
“He added: “The government of the day under the leadership of President Goodluck Jonathan has woefully failed to protect us. While the North is being battered, the people in government have not made serious efforts to end it. For the first time in the history of this great nation, our president is being openly condemned for his ineptitude, immaturity and inefficiency.”
Coomassie said since the advent of Boko Haram, the region has witnessed a speedy descent into anarchy.“The Arewa that was bequeathed to us by our fore-fathers is no longer the same. Today the entire northern region is under siege. The North is being attacked from all angles and from all fields.
“Now the general belief is that this government and its leadership do not like us. The current policies and the government attitude towards the insurgency leave us with no better conclusion than to assume that there is a deliberate plan or attempt to emasculate the north economically, to reduce us numerically, disunite us religiously and to divide us politically.”
He urged leaders in the North to come together to face the situation.
“We must at this point bury our individual differences, come together and critically examine the situation before us. We must come out and speak with one united voice. We cannot afford to be seen to be divided,” Coomassie added.
