Insecurity: AYCC Laments Incessant Loss of Lives, Call for Stakeholder Engagement
AREWA AGENDA – The Arewa Youths Consultative Council, AYCC, has lamented the continuous threat and incessant loss of lives due to insecurity in the North and certain parts of the country.
In a statement, Monday by its National Director of Media and Communication, Hon. Muhammad Ibrahim Milb, the AYCC called on all stakeholders to come together in confronting the situation.
Noting that Government alone cannot salvage us from the current situation we find ourselves, the AYCC said, “there is a need for all of us; both the rich and poor, traditional rulers and subjects, Associations and youth leaders, business men and academicians, Women groups, trades men, Writers, Musicians, Actors, educated and less educated, farmers, herdsmen, Actresses, corporate individuals and every gatekeeper in the society should wake up, let’s start discussing the right methods and modalities to assist all tiers of government in their effort to ending insecurity in Northern Nigeria.”
See full statement below:
Greetings to all Nigerians, irrespective of our tribe, status, language, region or religious affiliations. We write this with a disturbed heart, having held our 18th Executive session to brainstorm on the possible ways we can support and complement all effort geared towards ending insecurity in Northern Nigeria; we resolved to communicate this. While analyzing the continuous threats and incessant loss of lives in Northern States, we’ve resolved to call on every stakeholders to come together with all our brains and hammers to confront all forms of threats and perils targeting our population.
As much as we all remembered that the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (amended) in section 14(2)(b) stated that “the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government”, knowing that the Government alone may never save us from the mess we found ourselves, there is a need for all of us; both the rich and poor, traditional rulers and subjects, Associations and youth leaders, business men and academicians, Women groups, trades men, Writers, Musicians, Actors, educated and less educated, farmers, herdsmen, Actresses, corporate individuals and every gatekeeper in the society should wake up, let’s start discussing the right methods and modalities to assist all tiers of government in their effort to ending insecurity in Northern Nigeria. Let us start thinking on the possible ways to end this problems; because we’re always the receiving end of these menace called ‘Nigerian Insecurity’.
Everyday, the lives of the Northern people is in such worrisome condition, especially the states of Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, Borno and part of Niger. People are forced to survive amidst various acts of terrorism, kidnapping, armed robbery and massacre that lead to the displacement of persons, economic hardship, and retarded development of the region. We must go beyond social media campaigns and start looking inward for the lasting solutions to this killings, we must start inviting serving and retired security experts, religious clerics, traditional rulers, politicians, business moguls and youth leaders to give their quota. We shouldn’t just keep watching our helpless brothers and sisters dying everyday, we must start asking questions, providing solutions, creating networks, engaging collective efforts and accept that we can all contribute positively in providing a lasting peace, security and stability of Arewa and Nigeria.
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We should be more concerned on the nonstop security challenges in Northern Nigeria, it is the major issue that’s dragging us backward, as it is creating an everlasting negative perception and assumption in the mind of the global community, making the region to continue collapsing and lacking all forms of Foreign investment and globally standard rate of developments. This is because Multinational companies will continue to believe that the North is the “Most Dangerous region to live in Nigeria”. Therefore, investors will always run away from the region; considering it to be suicidal to come and invest. Another serious threat is about how our brothers and sisters will be facing serious persecution and stereotype from other people; both at home and especially abroad, names related to Arewa are subjected to cumbersome scrutiny at airports assuming everyone from the north to be associated to criminality and terrorism.
We must start provoking ourselves to come to table and proffer solutions to ending Boko-Haram insurgents unleashing terror in the North-east, farmers and herdsmen conflict ravaging the North-central and armed banditry bedeviling the North-West. We must be the generation that establish the beginning of ‘collective grassroots discussion’ to end a particular problem that create linking bridge between our development and underdevelopment. We must try to keep our ideological, religious, political and other baseless differences to be able to fight our common enemy called ‘Nigerian insecurity’.
Let’s have a sober reflections of our few years amidst insecurity, we’ve lost thousands of lives and infrastructure worth billions of dollars while displacing millions into refugee camps. Our inability to unite ourselves made us not to have the sense of quizzing those representing us in government; especially those in our legislative chambers making policies and those executing them. Imagine when the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila says he will not sign the 2021 Appropriation Bill if compensation for victims of police brutality is not captured. How many honorable members, Influential individuals and Youths activists from the 19 Northern States challenged him about similar efforts on the victims of the decade old insecurity, what about our millions orphans and displaced women in IDP camps, slain military and police officers that died at the war front etc?.We thought Justice of such nature should be served to all Nigerians irrespective of their region or status?.
Who is going to compensate our thousands business Men and Women that lost their properties worth billions of dollars including hundreds burnt trucks and buses loaded with goods and even many lost their lives as a results of same protests?. It is so provoking that even the media could not cover such stories not to talk of speaker of the House of Representatives or Senate President. This is a call for open discussion to justice and demand for equality and equity where necessary, we must speak for ourselves where no one can speak for us, our people are going through a lot and its high time we all lend a ‘poweefully collective voice’ and a strong helping hands. It is now or never.
On behalf of our Youthful population, we appeal to all stakeholders to consider this submission. Let’s start some discussions, as the late Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Comassie once said “we must all speak not as members of our individual groups but as members of the arewa family’’ and “We must salvage the North and by extension the whole nation, our success will usher vista of hope, respect, unity and cooperation in the North,’’ May we all rise to start talking and acting swiftly to save ourselves and the generality of Nigerians. God bless Arewa and Nigeria. Kindly accept our highest regards. Thank you.
Yours Sincerely,
Hon. Muhammad Ibrahim Milb,
National Director of Media and Communications.
For:
National President.
Arewa Agenda is a Publication of young writers from Northern Nigeria towards Peaceful Coexistence and National Development through positive narratives.
