ACF Lauds Jonathan's Handling Of Jos Crisis, Others

THE Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has commended President Goodluck Jonathan in setting up the panels on ethno-religious crises in Jos and the security challenges posed by Boko Haram in order to unmask the papetrators.Members of the group gave the commendation when they met in Kaduna yesterday, and discussed how the Forum would parley with all stakeholders in the north with a view of providing solutions on the problems facing the north and Nigeria in general.In a statement issued by the Arewa elders, the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Anthony Sani said: 'the Forum welcomed the spirited efforts by Mr. President in setting up the panels on ethno-religious crises in Jos and its environs and security challenges in the North-East geopolitical zones'.'The meeting, therefore, urged the government to go further and take all the necessary actions on the submitted reports expeditiously, lest Nigerians lose trust and confidence on panels and commissions set up by the government in future'.The ACF also considered the abysmal levels of enrollment of children in both primary and secondary schools across the Northern states amid billions of naira lying idle with the UBE Commission, saying that 'as a hedge against such disheartening trends, the meeting appealed to Northern governors to make haste and provide their counter-part funds, which are conditions the governors must fulfill in order to access what are due and payable to their respective states from the UBE Commission'.'This is very significant, considering the funds can go a long way in improving the volume and quality of education across the Northern parts of the country' the group said.Sani explained that ACF had its third Joint Meeting of the Board of Trustees and National Executive Council for this year and concluded it yesterday, noting that 'the meeting was well attended and ably chaired by retired Lt-General Jeremiah Useni who was supported by other leaders of the Forum'.According to him, the Forum noted the spate of ethno-religious crises and the novel incidences of bomb blasts, as well as the problems of almajirai across the North, considered the upsurge in armed robberies and menace of area boys in the South-West; pondered over the upward spiral in the inhuman practice of kidnapping and breeding of infants for sale in the South-East; and the militant activism in the South-South; as well as considered their dire consequences on national security and socio-economic development of the country.
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