The Northern Ethnic National Forum (NENF), a coalition of leaders from the 19 northern states, has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently reshuffle his cabinet, sack all Service Chiefs, and declare a state of emergency on security across the North.
Addressing journalists after what it described as “exhaustive consultations,” the Forum’s convener, Dr Dominic Alancha, said Nigeria faces a “multi-dimensional crisis” that requires decisive action.
“While we acknowledge the boldness of the administration’s initial steps, the escalating crisis facing the nation demands immediate, decisive, and transformative action,” Alancha said.
The Forum accused several ministers of “glaring underperformance” and warned that their incompetence undermines Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda.
“A ministerial appointment is not merely a reward for loyalty; it is a critical assignment to drive the President’s vision,” Alancha noted, calling for a cabinet of “doers, thinkers, and political strategists, not spectators.”
On insecurity, the Forum painted a bleak picture of northern communities.
“Daily, our communities are ravaged… farmers are unable to access their fields, and our highways have become death traps,” Alancha lamented, accusing Service Chiefs of failing despite “enormous resources allocated with innocent taxpayers’ money.”
The group called for their immediate dismissal and replacement with military leaders given “a clear mandate and a timeline for delivering measurable results.”
While commending Tinubu’s economic reforms, such as the removal of subsidies and unification of the exchange rate, the Forum urged a faster rollout of palliatives, more substantial investment in agriculture, and improvements in power and infrastructure.
“The Nigerian people are suffering. This requires more than speeches; it demands demonstrable austerity from government,” Alancha stressed.
The Forum concluded with a warning: “The time for action is now. The survival and prosperity of our nation, particularly the beleaguered North, hang in the balance.”
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