Speaking to newsmen after the forum’s meeting in Zaria, the NEF Chairman, Prof. Ango Abdullahi called on President Muhammadu Buhari to demonstrate higher level of concern and sensitivity to the plight of traumatised citizens, especially in Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, Benue, Niger, Plateau and Taraba States.
Apart from the Presidency, the NEF also slammed other tiers of government for failing to address and arrest the abject poverty and under-development in the country.
It said Nigeria has the resources and ideas but lacks the political will to tackle the problems.
According to Abdullahi, “There is serious irresponsibility of governance in the country, especially in the North; the leadership is not doing enough to meet up the challenges of poverty and under-development.
“We also demand a decisive, comprehensive and fundamental government actions against poverty, underdevelopment and insecurity affecting North as well as show leadership and compassion which are reciprocal expectation of the Nigerian people.”
NEF said recent report of an international organisation revealed that 90 per cent of the over 13.5 million children out-of-school in the country were from the North.
It added, “The children will be adult in the next 10 years; no education, no vocational training, what do you expect then? Insecurity situation.”
Abdullahi expressed sadness that instead of development, northern states were living under horrendous Boko Haram threats, banditry, kidnapping, armed robbery, marauding youth gangs, herders and farmers clashes.
“It has become imperative for the forum to call President Muhammadu Buhari to respond to threats faced by northern Nigerians following incessant killings in some states,” he observed.
