Former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, and other prominent leaders have renewed calls for unity and stronger regional collaboration at the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) 25th anniversary in Kaduna.
Gowon, who was represented by former Vice President Namadi Sambo, said peace and harmony remained the most critical pillars of the North’s stability.
Delivering General Gowon’s message, Sambo said the ACF was founded to champion moderation and national cohesion, adding that the forum had remained consistent. “Unity, peace and harmony are not mere slogans,” he said. “They are the oxygen for development and the foundation of our collective dignity.”
He warned against divisive tendencies exploited by extremists. “Without unity, we fracture. Without peace, we stagnate,” he said.
However, the ACF Board of Trustees (BoT) Chairman, Alhaji Bashir Dalhatu, recalled that the forum was established in 2000 to offer moral leadership amid increasing security and social pressures in the region. He mentioned that these challenges had intensified in recent years, citing attacks, abductions, and the killing of a senior military officer as evidence that communities remained under threat.
“The government must find a way to end the violence rapidly,” he said. “The consequences of failure, God forbid, are too frightening to contemplate. The closure of hundreds of boarding schools due to insecurity had exposed the depth of the crisis.”
He appealed for stronger cooperation between traditional institutions, governors and security agencies, noting that while the efforts of security personnel were appreciated, “much more must be done.”
The event also featured the launch of an ACF endowment fund, with billionaire businessman Alhaji Abdulsamad Rabiu announced as chief launcher. Dalhatu described the initiative as a long-term investment in the region’s future.
Representatives of Afenifere, Ohanaeze, PANDEF and BRAC attended the jubilee, which Dalhatu said reflected “the consolidation of friendship and goodwill across regions.”
Meanwhile, the ACF silver jubilee ended with a shared commitment to strengthen collaboration across political, traditional and socio-cultural platforms.
Organisers said the ACF would continue to advocate policies that protect lives, rebuild livelihoods and support inclusive development throughout the North.
In other news, Northern leaders at the Arewa Consultative Forum’s (ACF) 25th Anniversary celebration in Kaduna agreed on how to chart a better future for the region and end its backwardness.
They made a strong call for bold, innovative solutions to the long-standing insecurity and development challenges that have hampered the North’s growth.
Declaring the session open, ACF Board of Trustees Chairman, Alhaji Bashir Dalhatu, Wazirin Dutse, said the North must urgently embrace modern development models that empower young people and reduce inequality in the region.
“We must begin in earnest to plunge into modern developmental efforts,” he said, insisting that the Forum intentionally created platforms where experts “will mingle with our young entrepreneurs” and “coach us in ways and means that must become necessary parts of our lives from now on,” Dalhatu said.
