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From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has declared Nigeria’s worsening insecurity a national emergency, warning that the situation has escalated into what it described as a “state of war” threatening the country’s survival.
This position was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of the 38th meeting of the ACF Board of Trustees, held in Abuja on Saturday. The meeting, chaired by Alhaji Bashir M. Dalhatu, brought together prominent northern leaders, policymakers, and former public officials to deliberate on the state of the nation.
In its statement, the forum said Nigeria’s security challenges have evolved beyond isolated incidents of insurgency and criminality into a widespread and persistent crisis.
It cited ongoing violence ranging from insurgency in the North-East to banditry and mass kidnappings in the North-West and North-Central, as well as communal clashes and farmer-herder conflicts across several regions.
“The scale, persistence, and human cost of violence demand a fundamental shift in national priorities,” the communiqué stated, stressing that the crisis must now be treated as the country’s overriding emergency.
The ACF expressed deep concern over the human toll of the conflict, noting that hundreds of thousands of Nigerians have been killed or displaced in states such as Borno, Plateau, Niger, and Kwara.
It added that the casualties extend to members of the armed forces, including senior officers, while countless families have been torn apart and communities destroyed.
Beyond the humanitarian impact, the forum warned that insecurity is severely undermining Nigeria’s economy.
It highlighted the disruption of agricultural activities in the North, breakdown of supply chains, rising inflation, and the collapse of rural livelihoods as key consequences of the ongoing violence.
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“The longer the crisis persists, the more expensive it becomes to fix,” the statement noted, emphasizing that investment in security should be seen as a prerequisite for economic recovery rather than a competing priority.
Calling for decisive action, the ACF urged the federal government to adopt what it described as a “war-time approach” to address the crisis.
This includes temporarily scaling down spending on non-essential projects and redirecting national resources, leadership focus, and energy toward restoring security.
“Extraordinary threats require extraordinary measures,” the forum said, adding that development efforts must be properly sequenced, with security taking precedence.
The communiqué concluded with a stark warning that Nigeria stands at a critical crossroads, where failure to act decisively could jeopardize the nation’s stability and future.
It stressed that until citizens can live, work, and travel safely, other national ambitions would remain unattainable in practice.
“The path forward is clear: secure the nation first—decisively, comprehensively, and without delay,” the forum stated.
The meeting was attended by several notable figures, including former government officials, security chiefs, diplomats, and academics, while others participated virtually.
