The Katsina Elders Forum is disturbed about current insecurity in Katsina state and in some parts of the North.
The Forum has consequently called on President Ahmed Tinubu to review the strategies being used to tackle the problem, even if it means reshufling his cabinet.
Members of the Forum addressed a press conference in Katsina on Friday evening where they spoke their minds through the Secretary, Ali Mohammed.
The members addressed the press conference specifically on three issues bothering the North, namely insecurity, poverty and LGBTQ.
They implored the Federal Government to promptly deal with the three issues.
Contents of the address as presented by the Forum Secretary at the press conference, read in parts;” The first is the insecurity bedeviling the state and the North in general.
“We have tried as much as possible and complained severally to the Federal Government to complement what the state is doing to provide security of lives and property in the State but unfortunately the federal government has not lived up to expectations.
“It’s very unfortunate, we have complained severally and the bandits keep on killing our people, destroying and burning their houses down and seizing their farms.
“This is actually what is happening now in almost all the 12 security prone LGAs of the State.
“There’s no peace anywhere in the State. If you are traveling, you are not sure of coming back, if you leave home, you are not sure of coming back to meet your people safe.
“It’s really unfortunate, the so called Defense Ministers are all from the North, we don’t know what they are doing, they have not done enough to protect the North and these unfortunate killings occur only in this part of the country.
“We are really disturbed. We are calling on the Federal Government to as a matter of urgency provide security to Katsina and other parts of the North, because we realize that all these insecurity and other killings, kidnappings are only happening in this part of the country, why? And the so-called both senior and junior are from the North and not doing anything.
“Bandits have killed hundreds of people in Katsina, none of the Ministers or the president deemed it fit to come and condole with the people of Katsina State or provide some succour to the victims.
“You see a lot of beggars everywhere as a result of banditry and no body is doing anything about it.
“Katsina State Governor has done his best, he established Katsina State Community Security Watch Corps which are doing their best but unfortunately the Corps are not allowed to handle sophisticated weapons like the bandits. The soldiers are not helping matters. So we don’t know where the problem is. The defense Ministers should be up and doing. They are from the Northern part of the country, those bandits are killing their people, we are yet to understand the problem. What’s happening, who is behind this banditry. The Federal Government has to explain this.
“If our soldiers can go elsewhere in other countries to perform miracles and restore peace, why not in the Northern part of the country. Look at what Niger Republic, Cameroon and Chad did recently. They killed several hundreds of bandits, seized thousands of their weapons. Our soldiers are more intelligent, proactive and determined and more sophisticated than all those soldiers, what are they doing, who is behind this, who is against the North, please we want an explanation otherwise we are calling on the Federal Government to come up with immediate measures, let them introduce jungle battalions, put these soldiers in the forests, let them remain there and fight the bandits. The bandits are everywhere and they are known, they know where they are.
“We are calling on the president to please save Katsina State and the North for goodness sake.
“Secondly, we will like to comment on the LGBTQ, the budget Minister went and signed on behalf of Nigeria.
“We are telling the Federal Government that Katsina State vehemently objects to this arrangement because we are 98 percent Muslims and even Christianity is against the same sex marriage.
“We are begging Mr president to reverse with immediate effect if truly they have gone and signed the LGBTQ agreement. Katsina State is out of it and we are ready to do anything possible to go everywhere, we are sending this message to the federal government that Katsina State people are not in support of the LGBTQ. We as Muslims and Christians and we believe in our religions and the religions are against LGBTQ and same sex marriage.
“We are begging the Federal Government to reverse these decisions with immediate effect.
“I am calling on the national Assembly members, the Senate and House of Representatives to look into this case because it is a very serious issue. Nobody is interested in Nigeria, we remember when Mr Jonathan was in power, he objected to this which cost him his second term. He told them frankly that his religion is against same sex marriage and he turned it down and so it was.
“This decision must be reversed with immediate effect
“The third point we want to talk about is abject poverty pervading the North.
“People are very poor. Abject poverty and hunger
“Everywhere you see people begging because they don’t have what to eat and it’s the responsibility of responsible government to provide food, shelter and security for its citizens. I can say, the Federal Government has failed in that direction because North is in an abject poverty and we telling the Federal Government to do something urgently. Cost of food items is rising by the day, everything is expensive, the Northerners cannot afford three square meals. This is very serious and we are advising the Federal Government. Mr Tinubu has a listening ear and is a Democrat and if his cabinet are not advising him well, please he should drop them and bring people with good ideas that will help him run his government the way Nigerians will be happy.”