ACF: The southern governors should decide whether to be part of Nigeria unity before restructure~details below
Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), has warned that the end of the Nigeria as a united country is becoming more and more likely, following calls by 17 Southern governors requesting for President Muhammadu Buhari to restructure the country.
The ACF made the statement through its National Publicity Secretary, Emmanuel Yawe, in response to resolutions reached by the governors at a meeting in Asaba, Delta State on Tuesday.
The Governors in the same meeting, also banned open grazing and advised Buhari to convoke a national dialogue to address the salient issues confronting the nation.
But Yawe said while the ACF supports ban on open grazing, he however said before deciding on the restructuring of the federation, the nation must first decide whether it wants to remain one indissoluble unit or not.
“Our position on this is informed by the fact that some of the advocates of restructuring are at the same time advocating the dissolution of Nigeria. Are they believers in Nigeria at all? We must all agree to let Nigeria be, before we move forward,” Yawe told The Punch.
ACF said it had nothing against the call on President Muhammadu Buhari to address Nigerians on the concrete steps he has been taking to address insecurity in the land.
“There is nothing wrong with their call on the President to talk to Nigerians. As a politician, he should jump at any opportunity to communicate with the electorate.
“On the issue of ban on open grazing, I don’t think there is problem here with the stand of the ACF.
“At our last National Working Committee meeting in Kaduna, the national leader of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria spoke to us at length.
“He said he and his organisation had decided that the only way forward, and that in the interest of MACABAN, was to embark on ranching and that they were waiting for government’s policy.
“If MACABAN wants open grazing banned, not only in the southern part of Nigeria but all over Nigeria, who are we to say otherwise?
“On the issue of dialogue, the ACF has always believed in this if the aim of the dialogue is to promote the unity and progress of the whole country, our forum will hold dialogue with any state and group of people that share our cherished ideals of unity, justice, peace and progress,” Yawe stated.