Arewa Youth Forum (AYF) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently douse the ethnic tension across the county to prevent an outbreak of another civil war.
The forum made the call in a statement signed by its National President, Alhaji Ibrahim Gambo Gujungu, in Kaduna on Wednesday.
Gujungu said the forum is worried by the rising tension across the country precipitated by the quit notice given to Fulani herdsmen by the Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, and the actions that had trailed it.
He asked the President to show leadership and work with other stakeholders to bring about hope, peace and unity among Nigerians.
He said: “The Arewa Youth Forum is worried by the prevailing impasse and rising tension across the country precipitated by the quit notice given to Fulani herdsmen by the Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu and the actions that had trailed that incident.
“As it stands, owning to the actions of non-state actors and inaction of state actors, mainly the Federal Government and the state governors, the country is fast drifting and action must be taken immediately to stem this drift.
“After keeping silent for a long time, the Federal Government has, again, resorted to its usual rhetoric of issuing statements that over time had not made any impact on the situation of things in the country. Instead, the situation in the country has continued to deteriorate with each region looking within and resorting to self help as if the centre is no longer there.
“It is in view of this that the AYF is calling on the Federal Government to immediately act, on behalf of Nigerians that voted them into power, to prevent another civil war in the country. Many citizens across the country are agitated in view of the prevailing situation.”
Gujungu noted that the country can only be united if the government quickly tackles insecurity, poverty, deprivation and endemic unemployment ravaging the people.
The forum leader also the government to arrest, prosecute criminals and made them face the full wrath of the law anywhere they reside or commit the crime in Nigeria.
He said: “There is a serious need for synergy between the Federal Government and the states to achieve all these and many more. State governors should be told that government’s inability to clamp down on criminals should not be an avenue to malign a whole ethnic group or even a group of people.
“Criminals should be treated as criminals, arrested, prosecuted, and made to face the full wrath of the law anywhere they reside or commit crime in Nigeria. This is what the government is expected to do.
“The invention of quit notice is not only alien to us but a recipe for anarchy, disaster and even war. This is a road we all as citizens must strive not to travel”.
“We have at different times aired our views on the need for government to put its house in order and tackle the insecurity in the country headlong. We appreciate that the Federal Government, under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, has listened to agitations of Nigerians by bringing on board new service chiefs. However, they should hit the ground running because there is no time for honeymoon.
“The new service chiefs should immediately come up with a new agenda on how to end the insurgency in the North East, banditry in the North West and the general insecurity across the country. The time to act is now before the situation gets out of hand.”
