The Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, has criticised the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, for prioritising early re-election schemes over Nigeria’s deepening security and economic crises.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Professor Tukur Muhammad-Baba, the forum said President Bola Tinubu’s administration appeared more focused on political manoeuvres and defections ahead of the 2027 general election than confronting the country’s worsening insecurity.
According to the ACF, public policy responses to violence and terrorism, especially in northern Nigeria, have remained ineffective. The forum also decried reckless public spending, contrasting it with the harsh sacrifices ordinary Nigerians are forced to make daily.
“A most perverse illustration of reckless profligacy of public expenditure has been the revelation about insertions in the 2025 federal budget, for the provision of streetlights at a staggering and unimaginable costs of over ₦260 million each,” the statement said.
“That there has to date been no official denial of such crassly reckless and surreal insertions attests to the insensitivity of public officials and political representatives to the plight of ordinary Nigerians, whose living conditions continue to deteriorate all round.”
The ACF further warned that similar questionable budgetary items are often replicated across state governments and reflect a much deeper systemic problem in Nigeria’s political economy.
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“Delusional hubris and head-in-the-sand claims continue to characterise pronouncement by officials charged with responsibilities for security in contrast to cries of state governors on ground in locations,” the statement continued.
“Such obsessions and claims only ignore or give blind eyes to possible mass disillusionment, despair, discontent, hopelessness and angst of the populace.”
Despite these challenges, the forum commended Nigerians for their resilience, especially as they mark the Eid-el-Kabir festival amid economic hardship.
“That Nigerians continue to endure and could even celebrate occasions such as the Eid is a telling testament to their admirable resilience, which ought not to be taken for granted,” it said.
The ACF congratulated Muslims across the country and described the Eid celebration as a time to reflect on the values of sacrifice, fellowship, and devotion.
It concluded by expressing hope that Nigeria’s problems can still be overcome, if public officials at all levels embrace the principles of good governance.