The Arewa Consultative Forum, of the most prominent groups in notthern Nigeria, sent delegation to Maiduguri, which met Borno Governor, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum on Sunday.
The delegation was led by the forum’s chairman, Chief Audu Ogbeh, who has held cabinet, and party leadership positions at the highest levels in the country.
The ACF was in Borno to empathize over boko haram’s serial killings, particularly the most recent, which was the beheading of over 40 farmers of Zabarmari community in Jere local government area.
Ogbeh told Zulum that the security situation in northern Nigeria, was depressing, noting that elites in the region now have nothing to leave behind as legacies for the future generation which was why the ACF decided to talk less and focus on some developmental efforts in small scale agro-industries across the entire region.
“We are depressed, very depressed. And anyone of us, of our age who was not depressed he was not well born. Because we have nothing to leave behind for our children, and violence will not sustain us. The tragedy of the North today is that, the only industry left is politics, and politics alone has never grown any society. We have to re-grow Borno State, we have to re-grow the north, we have to re-grow Nigeria. We have no industries, agriculture has declined and our own children have turned to violence as a means of livelihood. Your Excellency, in ACF we have decided that we will not talk too much politics, we decided to focus on something else, we are going to start a program of developing small scale agro-industries across the north” Ogbeh said.
The forum condemned the attack on innocent farmers earning their legitimate means of livelihood around Zabarmari, describing it as barbaric and inhumane.
The ACF commended Governor Babagana Umara Zulum for his style of leadership in Borno.
“Your Excellency we (northerners) are proud of you and we are amazed by your courage in leadership.” Chief Ogbeh said.
The Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the forum, Amb Shehu Malami delivered a condolence message and prayed for the restoration of peace in Borno and northern Nigeria. Other members of the delegation included Alhaji Ibrahim Sule, Alhaji Murtala Aliyu, Alh. Baba Sule Bisala and Alhaji Kabiru Ladan.
Governor Zulum expressed appreciation for the commiseration and urged the federal government to find lasting solutions to the crisis in the northeast.
