The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has expressed disappointment that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), led by Bola Tinubu, is more obsessed with early campaigns, defections to its fold and other manoeuvres for re-election in 2027, rather than addressing the security challenges and other existential challenges confronting the nation.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Professor Muhammad-Baba, the ACF said the existential challenges are symptomatic of a fundamental malaise in the political economy, calling for urgent public policy attention.
“It would seem to be the case that the ruling party at the centre is more obsessed with unprecedented early campaigns, defections to it, and other manoeuvres for re-election in 2027, amidst putative celebrations of mid-term policy successes.
The ACF statement also criticised the 2025 budget and its fraudulent insertions by lawmakers in the National Assembly. “A most perverse illustration of reckless profligacy of public expenditure has been the revelation about insertions, in the 2025 Federal budget, for the provision of streetlights at a staggering and unimaginable cost of over N260 million Naira each.
“That there has to date been no official denial of such crassly reckless and surreal insertions attests to the insensitivity of public officials and political representatives to the plight of ordinary Nigerians, whose living conditions continue to deteriorate all round.
“Going by precedent, such budgetary insertions are replicated in various ways at state level. As ACF observed a year ago, the existential challenges above are symptomatic of fundamental malaise in the political economy, calling for urgent public policy attention”.
The ACF further lamented that public policy responses to the insecurity situation, especially in the Northern part of the country, have remained ineffective, even as profligacy and reckless expenditures by public officials are in contrast to sacrifices by citizens.
“Delusional hubris and head-in-the-sand claims continue to characterise pronouncements by officials charged with responsibilities for security, in contrast to cries of state governors on ground in locations. Such obsessions and claims only ignore or give blind eyes to possible mass disillusionment, despair, discontent, hopelessness and angst of the populace.
“That Nigerians continue to endure and could even celebrate occasions such as the Eid is a telling testament to their admirable resilience, which ought not to be taken for granted.
The forum also felicitates with the Muslim communities in Nigeria on the occasion of Eid-el-Kabir celebration, describing it as a solemn reminder of the need for humanity’s values of sacrifice, fellowship and devotion in appreciation of Almighty God’s Benevolence.
It noted that the Eid-el-Kabir celebration came amid struggles under economic-cum-existential challenges, ranging from dire costs of living expenses, inflation, rapid deterioration in the value of wages and salaries, among others.
ACF, however, praised Nigerians over their resilience, asserting that national challenges as enumerated by the Forum can be overcome by the entrenchment of the principles of good governance in public officials at local, state and federal levels.
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