While giving its assessment on the president’s speech, the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) said it was “gravely concerned” over Tinubu’s failure to mention the severe security situation plaguing the North West and other parts of the northern region in his speech.
The NEF, in a statement by Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, Director of Publicity and Advocacy of the group, drew attention to the escalating issues of banditry, kidnapping, rape, and various other criminal activities devastating the region, which have subjected the population to pervasive fear and insecurity.
It pointed out that the policing of communities in northern Nigeria has become a critical challenge.
The group said: “Criminal elements continue to wreak havoc, causing immense suffering for the residents of these regions. As a result, many communities have been forced to abandon their farmlands, schools have been shut down, and livelihoods destroyed.
“NEF is gravely concerned that the president’s recent speech failed to address these urgent issues or provide reassurance to the communities living in constant fear and uncertainty.
“Despite choosing not to comment on the ongoing protests in the country—remaining committed to peace and national stability—the forum had hoped for the president’s acknowledgment of the North West’s struggles and other affected regions.
They anticipated words of encouragement and an assurance of concrete steps being taken to alleviate the security challenges faced by these communities.
“The NEF had high hopes for the president’s speech, expecting that he would address the dire humanitarian disaster that criminal activities have brought upon our nation. 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 that were previously unknown in our land.
“It is essential that the magnitude of this challenge is not underestimated. Dealing with this humanitarian disaster in the North will require a level of political will and administrative competence that goes beyond what is needed to defeat criminal gangs.
“The simultaneous challenges of combating insurgency and banditry, rehabilitating IDPs, and rebuilding lives, communities, and infrastructure must all be top priorities for the government.
“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,” NEF said.
