Arewa Consultative Forum, (ACF), has warned the northern leadership saying that they have no understanding that youths in the north ‘are a time bomb which can explode at any given moment.’

According to the ACF Chairman, Board of Trustees (BOT), Ambassador Shehu Malami, he said that “It appears our leadership in the north are yet to understand and appreciate the bad situation of our youths. They are a time bomb which can explode at any given moment,’’

Malami speaking on Wednesday at the 2nd meeting of the Forum ‘s BOT in Kaduna, also said that  the northern group (ACF) ‘should take every reasonable step to interface with our counterparts, such as Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the South-South Peoples Conference, the Oduduwa, PANDEF and Afenifere as proposed last week during the NEC meeting of the ACF.’

He decried that hyper-inflationary trends stiffing the economic and industrial growth and well-being of our people.”

Mass defection will rock PDP, APC soon – Gov Wike

He said:  “Our leaders must show enough seriousness on the future well-being of the youths. They must find the way and means to encourage them in productive activities.

‘’As critical stakeholders, it behoves on us to conscientiously address our state governments in the north to take decisive actions towards industrialising the region.

“Northern governors and persons of means should be in a position to establish banking and other financial institutions to facilitate growth and development.

‘’Solid minerals and other resources abound in every state of our region which should be tapped as a matter of priority and urgency for our collective good.

“Our governments in the region should be made to understand this fact; to neglect agriculture is to court disaster and peril to ourselves.

“Boko Haram insurgency, Fulani wanton killings and kidnappings, herders/farmers face off, and other insurgent groups masquerading as the Fulani, have come to pose a more security challenge facing the governments and citizens, particularly in the north.”

“We need proper preparation, even if dialogue is preferred against any form of physical confrontation. It is for this that the ACF should take every reasonable step to interface with our counterparts, such as Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the South-South Peoples Conference, the Oduduwa, PANDEF and Afenifere as proposed last week during the NEC meeting of the ACF.’’ he said.