ACF Encourage Northerners to Participate in the National Dialogue, But Unsure of the Outcome

The leading political group of Northern Nigeria, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Northern Nigeria appealed to Northerners to participate in President Gooluck Jonathan’s national dialogue initiative, although it expressed doubt about the outcome.

This has been mentioned in a communiqué which became available after the ACF meeting in Kaduna on October 30, 2013, Wednesday.

The group considered the decision of the Federal Government to convoke a national dialogue against the backdrop that the decisions of past conferences are yet to be implemented by the appropriate authorities.

ACF therefore expressed doubt as to whether the outcome of the Jonathan’s exercise would not suffer the same fate.

“However as a mark of good faith in the hope that real issues of real concern to real Nigerians may be discussed, ACF urged northerners to participate in the national conference/national dialogue in the interest of national solidarity that goes with relative pluralism,” the communique said, calling for “delegates with proven intelligence and patriotic courage” to be encouraged and supported to attend the conference.

On the issue of representation at the dialogue, ACF urged the government to use local government areas as constituency units for representation to the conference on the basis of one delegate per local government area.

It would be recalled that President Goodluck Jonathan bowed to pressure from well-meaning Nigerians as he set up a committee on national conference on October 1, 2013, Tuesday. 

Sahara Reporters