The Northern Ethnic National Forum has urged President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency on security and immediately sack the nation’s service chiefs, citing worsening violence and leadership failures in tackling insecurity across the North.
In a statement on Sunday, NENF Convener Dominic Alancha said that while the administration had taken bold economic reforms, the deteriorating security situation and ineffective leadership demanded urgent corrective action.
“The security situation in northern Nigeria has degenerated into a full-blown catastrophe. Daily, our communities are ravaged by bandits, terrorists, and criminal elements who operate with impunity. This is unacceptable,” the forum said.
NENF accused the service chiefs of failing to deliver despite huge security funding, insisting that the entire architecture required a “fundamental overhaul.”
“We angrily and unequivocally demand the immediate dismissal and replacement of all Service Chiefs. The President must appoint fresh and innovative military leaders with a clear mandate and timeline for results,” it stated.
The forum also called for a cabinet reshuffle, faulting many ministers for poor performance and failure to translate the “Renewed Hope” agenda into tangible results.
It urged Tinubu to bring in “doers, thinkers, and strategists” capable of driving national development and building political goodwill ahead of 2027.
On the economy, the group commended Tinubu’s subsidy removal and forex reforms but warned that implementation had worsened hardship.
It urged faster palliatives, heavy investment in agriculture and manufacturing, and improvements in power, transport, and infrastructure to ease citizens’ suffering.
NENF’s demand comes days after the Northern Elders Forum similarly called for a state of emergency on security, warning of looming anarchy if urgent steps were not taken.
Meanwhile, youth stakeholders in the North-West under the National Youth Council of Nigeria expressed support for a mix of dialogue and military action in addressing insecurity.
At a meeting in Kaduna, convener Saleh Kuba said young people backed National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu’s adoption of both kinetic and non-kinetic strategies, arguing that global best practice combined force with dialogue to ensure lasting peace.
The youths also urged closer collaboration between federal authorities, governors, and security agencies, while unanimously adopting Ahmad Rufai Khalifa, grandson of late Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa, as their consensus candidate for NYCN president ahead of the council’s October elections.
At the meeting in Kaduna, Kuba said insecurity dominated discussions despite not being on the agenda, reflecting widespread concern among young people.
“We expressed our commitment to support the security agencies, particularly the Office of the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, who, in his wisdom, decided to deploy both kinetic and non-kinetic strategies in addressing insecurity,” Kuba said.
He argued that the dual strategy was consistent with global best practices:
“When you deploy kinetic means, you also deploy non-kinetic ones. You must understand the underlying issues causing insecurity so that you can come up with long-term solutions. We are in support of sustained, honest dialogue across the geopolitical zones.”
The youth leaders further urged greater synergy between federal and state governments and security agencies, stressing that governors must be recognised as chief security officers in their states.
On the adoption of Khalifa, current NYCN Chairman of Kebbi State, as consensus candidate for the NYCN National President ahead of its elective congress in October, Kuba said, “The North-West zone has spoken with one voice. We have unanimously adopted Comrade Ahmad Rufai Khalifa as our consensus candidate. We believe he has the capacity, experience, and character to lead Nigerian youths at this critical moment in our nation’s history.”
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