THE Northern socio-cultural organisation, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has called on Northerners to participate fully in the forthcoming national dialogue in the interest of national stability.
ACF however, expressed dismay that the decision of past conferences were not implemented and hoped that the outcome of the forthcoming conference would not suffer the same fate.
This was contained in a communiqué signed by ACF’s national publicity secretary, Mr Anthony Sani issued on Wednesday, after the joint meeting of the ACF Board of Trustees (BOT) and the national executive council in Kaduna.
According to the ACF, the meeting which was well attended by members of the two organs and chaired by Leuitenant General Jeremiah Useni (retd), deliberated on many issues of national importance as well as those which bordered on its internal management for performance and resolved that the following statement be issued.
The communiqué read in parts: “The meeting considered the decision of the Federal Government to convoke a national conference/national dialogue against the backdrop that the decisions of past conferences are yet to be implemented by the appropriate authorities. ACF therefore expressed doubt that the outcome of the current exercise would not suffer the same fate.”
“However as a mark of good faith in the hope that real issues of real concern to real Nigerians may be discussed, ACF urged northerners to participate in the national conference/national dialogue in the interest of national solidarity that goes with relative pluralism. Towards this end, only delegates with proven intelligence and patriotic courage should be encouraged and supported to attend the conference.”
“The meeting also considered the calls for representations on the basis of equality of geopolitical zones, or of states or of ethnic nationalities; and given the common place knowledge that any hype in ethnic nationalism is too divisive for furthering the cause of national unity, ACF urged the government to use local government areas as constituency units for representation to the conference as one delegate per local government area.”
“The joint meeting received and considered the report on the adverse effect of proliferation of foray and groups claiming to speak for the same north and the need for speaking with the same voice for effective performance and directed its relevant committee to meet with the other groups with a view to finding the best way forward among possibilities of all the groups coming back to ACF; or all collapsing into a different platform or working together.”
“The meeting informed members of the fact that the period for the current leadership of ACF was drawing to a close and no more renewable. As a result, elections into the offices must necessarily take place before the terminal date of 13/2/2014.”
“Towards this end, members were requested to look towards nomination of candidates with appropriate content of character and commitment to the electoral body of the forum in accordance with existing zoning arrangement for election into office.”
