618
By Lizzy Chirkpi
The Northern Ethnic National Forum (NENF) has urged President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency on security, overhaul his cabinet, and immediately sack the nation’s service chiefs, citing worsening insecurity and leadership failures in addressing the crisis.
In a statement on Sunday, NENF Convener, Dominic Alancha acknowledged some of the administration’s early reforms but said the deepening crises, particularly in the North, demand urgent and decisive action beyond the current pace of governance.
Since President Tinubu assumed office in May 2023, Northern Nigeria has witnessed high levels of violence marked by mass killings, kidnappings, and deadly attacks, despite some progress against insurgency.
This call follows a similar appeal by the Northern Elders Forum on September 3, which warned that continued inaction could plunge the nation into anarchy and destabilize the country.
Alancha criticized several cabinet members for underperformance, arguing that ministerial roles should go beyond political rewards to delivering on the administration’s “Renewed Hope” agenda.
“Many current ministers have demonstrated a profound inability to translate policy into tangible results, connect with the grassroots, or build the political goodwill necessary to solidify the administration’s standing.
“As we look ahead to the 2027 electoral mandate, it is evident that the current composition of the cabinet lacks the strategic competence and political force needed to secure victory for Mr. President and sustain the nation’s overall development plans.
“We, therefore, call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately initiate a comprehensive dissolution and reshuffle of the Federal Executive Council. We urge the President to replace underperforming ministers with individuals of proven integrity, exceptional capability, and significant political influence in their respective states and regions. Nigeria needs a cabinet of doers, thinkers, and political strategists not a cabinet of spectators, ” the statement read in part.
The Forum condemned the worsening insecurity in Northern Nigeria, citing daily banditry, terrorism, and rampant kidnappings that have crippled farming and made major highways unsafe.
“This is unacceptable,” the group stated. “The security architecture has proven to be ineffective, and we are therefore requesting a fundamental overhaul of the nation’s service chiefs. Consequently, the Northern Ethnic National Forum angrily and unequivocally demands the immediate dismissal and replacement of all Service Chiefs. The President must appoint new, fresh, and innovative military leaders with a clear mandate and a timeline for delivering measurable results.”
The group further called for “the immediate declaration of a State of Emergency on Security in the entire Northern Region,” stressing that this should not amount to militarization but a coordinated, resource-driven operation to “flush out terrorists, dismantle their networks, and restore permanent order.”
Despite its criticism, the Forum commended Tinubu for bold reforms such as fuel subsidy removal and forex unification, acknowledging their potential to fix the economy in the long term.
“However, the implementation of these reforms has been fraught with hardships.
“We strongly urge the President to move beyond the initial reforms and embark on a phase of deep consolidation. This must include accelerating palliative measures to become more robust, transparent, and directly impactful on the most vulnerable Nigerians; driving aggressive investment in agriculture and manufacturing to boost domestic production, create jobs, and stabilize the economy; and ensuring that reforms translate into tangible improvements in power supply, transportation, and other critical infrastructure,” the group said.