ACF urges FG to set timelines for easing hardship
The Arewa Consultative Forum has urged the Federal Government to acknowledge shortcomings in its assessment of the impact of its economic reforms on Nigerians and provide clear timelines for improving living conditions.
The Publicity Secretary of the ACF, Prof. Tukur Mohammed-Baba, made the call during an interview with ARISE News on Thursday, saying the government should admit where its assessment went wrong and explain how it intends to address the consequences.
He asked, “What do I want to see from the administration? An open admission that things are not going the way they were intended, or rather, they did not do their work very well on impact analysis.”
Mohammed-Baba said the government’s justification of the reforms did not adequately address the hardship being experienced by Nigerians.
“All this attempt to justify reforms, ‘we will see the pains,’ ‘we are now feeling the pains,’ ‘the sunshine will come after the rains,’ you know, these are all hallucinations,” he stated.
He said the effects of the reforms could be seen in the cost of living and the living conditions of Nigerians.
“Look at the purchasing power of the Naira, look at the living conditions of Nigerians, look at rent, look at housing materials, look at transportation, look at electricity costs, look at transportation, see the condition of the roads in Nigeria, and above all, see the level of insecurity that has been pervading this country,” he said.
The ACF spokesman also questioned whether the administration had conducted adequate due diligence before implementing the reforms.
“Look, there is what we call due diligence. Has this regime done any due diligence on the conditions of Nigerians, especially with regards to these economic conditions? Secondly, have they done any due diligence regarding the existential conditions of people, and so on?,” he queried.
Mohammed-Baba urged the government to provide specific timelines for delivering improvements rather than asking Nigerians to give it more time.
“When you say ‘more time,’ just how much more time do you need?,” he noted.
He called on the government to set measurable targets against which Nigerians could assess its performance.
The spokesman said, “So we begin with the politicians, tell us how much time will you need, give us timelines of achievement: ‘By one year, we hope to do this. By second year, we hope to do this. By third year,’ and so on and so forth.”
Mohammed-Baba also said the government could introduce measures within three months to reduce the hardship facing Nigerians.
“Three months is enough time, I think, to put in place certain measures that will ameliorate the sufferings of people,” he asserted.
He said the administration should openly acknowledge the difficulties Nigerians were facing and demonstrate its willingness to address them.
“The administration should be open and direct with the people.
“It should state clearly that it recognizes the point, will show, will do something about it, and show from the point of view of their own living standards that they are willing to do something about it,” he declared.
The ACF spokesman further criticised what he described as a disparity between the sacrifices demanded of Nigerians and the conduct of government officials.
He noted, “The rate at which the sufferings of Nigerians, the sacrifices they are calling for, is not extended to themselves is actually shameful.”
On the 2027 general elections, Mohammed-Baba said the ACF would support political candidates based on their commitment to good governance, accountability and anti-corruption.
“Well, the Arewa Consultative Forum is leaning towards any party and any individual that will deliver good governance, accountability, anti-corruption to Nigerians,” Mohammed-Baba made this known.
He said the forum would continue to advocate fairness and equity in governance.
“The Arewa Consultative Forum is all for good governance, it is for equity, it is for fairness. So far, we are seeing little of this now,” he stated.
Mohammed-Baba urged the government to make realistic promises and focus on commitments it could fulfil.
“Please don’t promise heaven and earth; we know it cannot be delivered. The thing about perfection is that it is never attainable. So be modest,” he concluded.
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