….We’ve never had it this bad – Obi
FROM LUKA SHEKARA, KADUNA
Barely one month after it accused the President Bola Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress (APC) administration of marginalising the North, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) on Monday warned that Northern Nigeria is being pushed to the wall amid worsening insecurity, poverty, and environmental challenges.
In July, the ACF had accused Tinubu of a systematic marginalization of northern Nigeria, stating that the 2025 budget was carefully designed to allocate several projects to the South at the expense of their northern counterparts.
Chairman of the ACF Board of Trustees, Alhaji Bashir M. Dalhatu, stated during a two-day citizen engagement forum organized by the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation in Kaduna, that despite its significant electoral contributions to Tinubu in the 2023 general elections, the president has failed to involve the North in critical policy decisions and projects implementation.
Dalhatu revealed that the North gave over 64% of President Tinubu’s total votes but lamented that the region has been “largely excluded” from key governance processes.
The ACF’s accusation of Tinubu neglecting the North is the latest of such criticisms from the region.
His remarks echoed earlier criticisms from northern political figures who accused the administration of favouring the South in both federal appointments and major infrastructural developments.
“Two years into President Tinubu’s four-year tenure, the feeling among the people of the North is, to put it mildly, completely mixed,” Dalhatu said. “To our surprise, those who did not support him, did not vote for him, and hardly wished him well have emerged from nowhere and are now attempting to drive a wedge between him and the North.”
Citing federal budget figures to underscore the region’s alleged neglect, Dalhatu said:
“For instance, of the N1.013 trillion allocated to roads in the current federal budget, only N24 billion, less than 1% was earmarked for projects in the North East.”
In reference to a May 2025 press release from the Federal Ministry of Works, he said: “The regional breakdown is telling; the South-West received N1.394 trillion, the South-East, N205 billion, the North-West, N105 billion, and the North-East, just N30 billion. Sadly, this discriminatory practice is not hidden; it is now done openly, without apology.”
The ACF gave the warning during its 78th National Executive Committee meeting held in Kaduna.
Chairman of the Forum, Mamman Osuman, who addressed the gathering, warned that the North could no longer afford to remain silent in the face of escalating crises confronting the region, which he noted have become unbearable.
He cautioned, “This is not a time for the North to fold its arms and watch while things continue to deteriorate. Our security situation is worsening, the resources of the region are being exploited, and environmental problems are mounting. We must rise and unite to defend the region.”
“We have lost children, young men and women, and the elderly to floods, disasters, criminals, and terrorists. The state of affairs is deeply troubling. That is why I call for sober reflection and prayers,” he added.
Another speaker and ACF Adviser, Bashir Hayatu Gentile, explained that the Forum had thoroughly examined the challenges troubling the North and resolved that urgent action must be taken.
He said, “These are real problems facing the North, and we must compel the government to act. Nothing is more disturbing today than insecurity – kidnappings and killings everywhere. That is why the ACF resolved that the North must unite and pressure the government to intensify efforts to address these pressing challenges.”
The ACF Chairman called on the government to change its pattern, while warning that “Northern patience is running out and that the government must act decisively.”
The ACF expressed deep concern over a recent report by Amnesty International which revealed that 10,217 people were killed in just two years of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, all in Northern Nigeria.
He further expressed concerns that killings, mass abductions, and village raids have become a near-daily occurrence in the North.
Citing the recent attack in the Malumfashi Local Government Area of Katsina State where armed men stormed a mosque during dawn prayers, killing and burning worshipers, the ACF adviser said, “The report said 27 people were killed, but from what we gathered, the figures were even higher. Since Amnesty released the report, no government official has denied it. This is why the ACF insists that Nigeria’s security framework must be overhauled,” he regretted.
The Forum therefore condemned the silence of government officials on Amnesty’s findings, saying the refusal to refute the figures confirmed the severity of the crisis.
Similarly, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has condemned the rising spate of killings and abductions across Nigeria, saying that insecurity has worsened under the current administration.
In a statement he issued on Monday, Obi regretted that Nigeria has never had it this way before, noting that insecurity has become the order of the day and has degenerated to its lowest ebb under the present administration of President Bola Tinubu.
He described the situation as alarming and called for urgent action from political leaders to protect citizens.
“Despite not being at war, the killings, abductions, and banditry incidents in our country continue to be a daily occurrence and are increasing at a worrisome rate,” he said.
The former governor of Anambra State, who condemned the recent attack in Okigwe, Imo State, where many residents were killed and several others declared missing, described the incident as further proof of the worsening security crisis.
He also lamented that the Amnesty International report had warned that the Nigerian government was “emboldening bandits” through its “stunning failure” to protect citizens.
According to him, Amnesty described the week as “a bloody one,” citing several incidents, including the massacre of over 50 worshippers in a mosque in Katsina, the abduction of more than 60 people in the same state, and the killing of over 15 farmers in Mangu, Plateau State.
“Instead of improving security, insecurity has worsened under this administration. Nigeria, which is not even officially at war, has recorded over 10,000 civilian deaths in just two years, a number similar to civilian deaths in Ukraine, which is officially at war,” he stated.
“We must now wake up as a nation. The first duty of any government is to secure the lives and property of its people. We must put Nigerian citizens first, stop the politicking, name-calling, and gossip, and focus on addressing these real issues. The time to act is now,” Obi concluded.