The Arewa Consultative Forum, (ACF), yesterday accused peoples of the southern part of the country of provoking the North to set the country aflame.
At its National Executive Council, (NEC) meeting in Kaduna, the group urged Nigerians not to lose faith in the country, saying Nigeria will overcome its challenges.
On his part, ACF Secretary-General, Muktar Aliyu lamented that the North is sick, noting that “We have Boko Haram, we have banditry, we have kidnapping, we have rustling, attacks on Northerners in the South where many lost their property and investments.
Meanwhile, a communiqué at the end of the meeting, among others, stated that “the Forum is not happy with the scant attention paid to animal husbandry by state and federal governments in the country. Animal husbandry alone accounts for 6% of our Gross Domestic Product, (GDP), Nigeria spends $1.6 on importation of milk alone. If animal husbandry is well harnessed it will save Nigeria this large expenditure.
ACF lamented the high rates of interest charged on bank loans in the country, contending that “the interest charged by banks on commercial loans are so high that instead of promoting business, they are killing all indigenous business enterprises.
“No business can function in Nigeria or anywhere without a friendly environment of loaning from banks. We call on the government to intervene because the collapse of a business has direct links with unemployment and insecurity”.
