The Northern Elders Forum, on Monday, August 5, accused President Bola Tinubu of failing to acknowledge the struggles faced by the North West and other regions of the country.
The leader of the forum, Ango Abdullahi, citing the severe security situation in the North West said the NEF was worried that the President did not speak on issues of banditry, kidnapping, rape and other criminal activities ravaging the region.
In a statement issued by NEF’s director of publicity, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, the forum’s leader said Tinubu failed to reassure or provide concrete plans to alleviate these challenges.
His words, “The President’s speech did not acknowledge the struggles of the North-West and other affected regions, nor provide reassurance or concrete plans to alleviate the security challenges.”
According to Abdullahi, the NEF had high hopes for the President’s speech. He said the forum expected that the President would have addressed the dire humanitarian disaster impacted on the nation by these criminal activities.
He added, “The scale of the crisis is immense, with millions of our fellow citizens displaced internally and hundreds of thousands of orphans facing hunger and malnourishment. These are new and alarming realities previously unknown in our land.
“We expected the President to acknowledge the gravity of the situation and outline concrete plans for addressing these critical issues.
“The focus should have been on finding sustainable solutions to the crisis, prioritising the needs of the affected communities, and ensuring that necessary resources are allocated to support them.
“The NEF calls on President Tinubu to prioritise the security and safety of the people in the northern region and to take decisive action to address the root causes of the escalating violence and criminal activities, Abdullahi said.