The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has said that the proposed National Conference has no constitutional basis and delegates to the conference lack the mandate and authority to speak for the north or any group in Nigeria. This was part of the declaration NEF adopted yesterday at the end of the Extraordinary Assembly of Leaders and Elders of Northern Nigeria held in Kano on March 10 and 11. In the declaration signed by conference coordinator Paul Unongo and spokesperson Hakeem Bello, NEF said that the proceedings, conclusions and recommendations of the confab “are designed to achieve goals that will compound the nation’s problems, and they will not be accepted by the people of the north”. On the violent activities going on in the north-east, NEF said the activities “represent acts of hostility” against the people of the north by leaders incapable of protecting the citizens. “These intolerable assaults must be stopped by this administration, or another responsible and committed leadership that should emerge in its place.” Also, it stated that it “was particularly certain that the problems of the north today are traceable only to inept and insensitive leaders at national and state levels, as well as other leaders who lack the courage to stand up to them in the interest of the people of the region and Nigeria”. On why the delegates cannot represent the north, the group said, “The planned National Conference has no constitutional basis, and its delegates lack any form of mandate or authority to speak for the people of the North or other Nigerians. Its proceedings, conclusions and recommendations appear designed to achieve goals that will compound the nation’s problems, and they will not be accepted by the people of the North.” The forum condemned what it called “emerging culture of assault on northerners” as a result of fears of insecurity and “the exploitation” of the vulnerabilities of northerners across the country. NEF called on northerners to resist the “systematic underdevelopment of the northern economy and its social structures by the national leadership and some leaders in the North” and to reverse “policies which deepen inequity, underdevelopment and injustice against the north”. “Despite having leaders from the north governing Nigeria for much of the years since independence, the north lags behind in all measurable indices of human development. It lags behind other parts of the country in child and maternal mortality, children out of school, per capita income and other socio-economic variables. “Unfair and unjust allocation of resources of the nation which deprive the north of its legitimate rights must cease,” the NEF said. “The North must intensify efforts to improve the exploitation and management of its own human and other resources.” One of those resources, it said, is petroleum in the Chad Basin of which there has been an intensified effort recently to locate in commercial quantities.” On the forthcoming 2015 elections, the forum urged all northerners to mobilize and elect leaders that will protect the interest of the north and ensure the sustainability of Nigeria. The assembly tagged “The Kano Assembly” was convened sequel to 100 years of Nigeria’s existence and to examine the contributions of northerners to nation building. It expressed appreciation at the role the people and leaders of the north played in the growth and development of Nigeria
Posted on: Thu, 13 Mar 2014 12:03:16 +0000
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