The Arewa Consultative Forum has urged the 19 northern state governors to ensure that the newly established Northern Nigeria Security Trust Fund is professionally managed, transparently administered and insulated from political interference.
The forum said the credibility and effectiveness of the initiative would depend on sound corporate governance, professionalism and sustained political will.
In a statement issued on Friday by the Chairman of the ACF Board of Trustees, Bashir Dalhatu, the forum commended the governors for establishing the trust fund, describing it as a bold regional response to the insecurity that has claimed thousands of lives, displaced communities and disrupted economic activities across the North.
“The Arewa Consultative Forum warmly welcomes and wholeheartedly commends the Forum of Northern States Governors on the establishment of the Northern Nigeria Security Trust Fund, a landmark initiative designed to mobilise additional resources in support of the fight against terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other forms of violent criminality that have afflicted Northern Nigeria for far too long,” the statement read.
The forum described the initiative as one of the most significant regional interventions in recent years, saying it reflected the governors’ appreciation that the security crisis confronting the North required collective action, innovative thinking and sustained commitment beyond the efforts of the Federal Government and conventional security agencies.
