The Arewa Youth Forum, AYF, has expressed dismay over the current tribal tension across the country, leading to the loss of lives and properties.
It also condemned in strong terms the ongoing reprisals resulting in the quit notice given to Fulani herdsmen by the Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu and the actions that have trailed that incident.
Alhaji Ibrahim Gambo Gujungu, National President of AYF, in a statement issued in Kaduna on Tuesday, said the actions and inactions of everyone involved has led the country into a crisis.
“As it stands owing to the actions of non-state actors and the inaction of state actors mainly the federal government and the Governors of the respective states, the country is fast drifting and action must be taken immediately to stem this drift.”
It noted that 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.
It said, instead, the situation in the country has continued to deteriorate with each region looking within and resorting to self-help as if the centre no longer exists.
The AYF called on the Federal Government to immediately act on behalf of Nigerians who voted them into power to prevent a repeat of another civil war in the country.
“Many citizens across the country are agitated because of the prevailing situation. This is the time for the government to show leadership, work with other stakeholders to bring about hope, peace and unity among Nigerians,” AYF observed.
AYF believes the situation can only be solved if the government makes haste in dealing with the underlying issues of insecurity, poverty, deprivation and endemic unemployment ravaging the people.
The youth advised, “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 governments inability to clamp down on criminals should not be an avenue to malign a whole ethnic group or even a group of people.”
The youth noted that criminals should be treated as criminals, arrested, prosecuted and made to face the full wrought of the law anywhere they reside or commit crimes in Nigeria.
“This is what the government is expected to do. The new 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,” it observed.
