By Emmanuel Oloniruha
The Arewa Broadcast Media Practitioners Forum (ABMPF), a non-political organisation, has urged Nigerians to look beyond political parties, but critically assess the leadership capacity of candidates in the 2027 general elections.
The Chairman, Alhaji Abdullahi Yelwa, at a news conference on Wednesday in Abuja, said that while the upcoming elections were critical to the nation’s future, the responsibility lies with citizens to make informed decisions at the polls.
“We are running a democracy, and our advice is that Nigerians should open their eyes and look at what is going on.
“The capacity of political leaders is an important aspect of what they should look for. No single political party has all the answers.
“The vote is yours to cast, and we urge Nigerians to take more time to educate themselves on the political choices they make.”
Yelwa, a political scientist, cautioned political actors against politicising the nation’s security challenge for partisan gain, saying such actions undermine the efforts of those tasked with protecting lives and property.
“The best way to compare with insecurity is to solve it. Let leaders not politicise it.
“Let us allow the people who have the responsibility to do their best,” he added.
On the rate of unemployment, Yelwa advised leaders and government at all levels to restrategise their empowerment programmes, saying empowerment had gone beyond buying motorcycles or tools for youths.
He added that many of the recipients immediately sell those tools at a cheaper price after collection.
“So we are calling on government to review their youth engagement strategy so that they can invite experts who will help them in fashioning out these programmes,” Yelwa said.
He expressed the willingness and readiness of the forum to partner with government to scale up empowerment programmes for the youth.
Also speaking, a board member, Alhaji Shu’aibu Mungadi, urged the federal government to design and enforce strict regulatory frameworks to halt the diversion of mineral wealth and sanction perpetrators.
Mungadi, who raised concerns over the systemic theft of natural resources across northern states including Zamfara, Kebbi, Katsina, Benue, Sokoto, Niger, and Nasarawa, called on the Federal Government to take decisive action against illegal mining.
He noted that there was a direct link between the illicit extraction of mineral resources and the rising wave of insecurity in Northern Nigeria.
Mungadi said that the northern region has derived minimal benefit from its wealth due to collusion between local elites and foreign actors.
“The North is not benefiting in any way from the abundant mineral resources, especially gold, that are being stolen on a daily basis by powerful Nigerians in collaboration with expatriates.
“There is currently no transparent policy in place to even tell Nigerians what is being realised from these resources,” Mungadi said.
He emphasised that the connection between illegal mining rings and banditry in the North was undeniable, warning that security agencies could not fully contain rural violence without first dismantling the illegal economic networks driving it.
Mungadi explained that ABMPF exists to serve as a louder voice for voiceless northerners and Nigerians who suffer daily from poor governance and insecurity.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
OBE/FOF
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Edited by Folasade Akpan
