North Questioning Rationale For Nigeria’s Union- ACF 

 By Frederick Peters, KADUNA.

NEWSDAILYNIGERIA: The  Arewa Consultative Forum,( ACF) has lamented over what it described as discriminatory environment created by Federal Government against the north in favour of the south, a development making northerners to begin to question the rationale or otherwise of remaining in the Nigerian Union.

The Forum also condemned in strong terms what it called a growing hostility and Maltreatment of Northerners in Southern Nigeria.

This was disclosed by  the Chairman, ACF Board of Trustees (BoT), Alhaji Bashir M. Dalhatu Wase  in his opening remarks at the forum’s meeting in Kaduna on Wednesday.

“As you all might have noticed, the growing hostility and hate mongering against Northerners in the South, appears to be exacerbated by the current unequal and discriminatory policies of the federal government towards the North, these negative developments have prompted a growing disenchantment and disillusionment amongst Northerners against the Federation of Nigeria. Some in the North now openly question the rationale or justification for remaining in the union,” he said.

 Also speaking on the law creating the FCT Abuja in 1976, he said that it specified a number of actions to be taken by the federal government as preconditions for the area to become the Federal Capital Territory.

“One important condition was that the indigenous population within the area demarcated as FCT would be paid adequate compensation and relocated to the neighboring states that currently include present day Nasarawa, Niger, Plateau, Kogi and Kaduna. It has been about 50 years since that law was passed but the federal government has failed to adequately implement its provisions.

“As a matter of fact and much to the regret of fair-minded Nigerians, the indigenous people of the FCT, have been forcefully driven away from their ancestral land and rendered landless and homeless through no fault of theirs,” he lamented.

ACF also frowned at what it also described as  injustice and maltreatment of the indigenous people of the FCT Abuja  and called for an urgent review.

“The time has come for Nigeria to fulfil its obligations towards the indigenous people of Abuja, including the creation of their own state within the federation of Nigeria,” he said.

ACF  further lamented what it called as growing hostility and Maltreatment of Northerners in Southern Nigeria.

“While on the subject of violence and killings, we must review and condemn in the strongest possible terms, the growing hostility and attacks against Northerners that choose to live or pursue livelihoods in the southern states of Nigeria. Even innocent Northerners on journeys through southern states get killed or subjected to inhumane treatment, a tragedy which unfortunately successive administrations in this country have failed to stop.

“The maltreatment and attacks on Northerners in the South is especially ironic and painful given the fact that, for centuries, the North has kept its doors wide open and welcomed people from all parts of Nigeria, courtesy of our unlimited hospitality and brotherhood. It is deeply regrettable therefore that Southerners have refused to reciprocate this noble gesture by the North. In fact, in many parts of the South, especially in the Southeast, a Northerner cannot expect to acquire one square foot of land not to speak of owning any significant landed property,” he added.

According to him, the time has come for governors and legislators in the Northern states to carry through a comprehensive reform of the system of land ownership and control.

“The need for this reform is self-evident, especially given the current mad scramble for land in the North by foreigners. Authorities in the North must ensure that Northerners do not become landless in their own territory,” he added.