The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has dismissed the position of the Governors’ Forum which roses from its meeting in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital with a verdict of peace having returned to the Niger Delta region.

In a chat with newsmen in Port Harcourt, the coordinator of the ACF in the South-South and South-East, Alhaji Musa Saidu, said the Governors should not be taken seriously, saying “they all came with a retinue of security details.  If they want us to believe that there is peace in the Niger Delta, they should come alone”.

“In Yenagoa, workers are being owed salaries; they didn’t talk about that one.  They are politicians that should not be taken seriously,” the ACF chieftain declared, urging the Federal Government to take advantage of this opportunity to bring sustainable peace to the region.

“If the Federal Government fails to take advantage of this opportunity, they will regret it. All the grammar will not work; the only thing that will work is transparency, commitment, and justice. If they do this you will be surprised at the level of peace that will be in the area”.

He faulted the Amnesty Committee on its decision to pay the ex-militants N65,000 a month, pointing out that it was not sustainable and advised the Federal Government to provide jobs for the youths of the region.

“They said they want to pay the boys N65,000 a month, that is not the solution. How long will you continue to pay them? If you have a job, you can buy land and build a house by yourself and take care of your family. They should provide jobs for them,” he stated.

He commended the Chibuike Amaechi-Ied administration in Rivers State for its efforts at remaking the State and addressing the flooding problems in the State capital, stressing “I’ve not seen any Governor that is working like Amaechi,” and appealed to the Governor to be wary of carryovers from previous administrations.

Appealing to the Governor to consider the interest of the North in his administration, he said “the interest of the North is not being properly represented in the Amaechi government. We are saying he is doing well to develop the State but he should also carry the North along in the scheme of things”.

Describing the appointment of a security consultant as unnecessary, Alhaji Saidu noted that “for the Governor to have a security consultant is a duplication of powers. He has a Chief Security Officer (CSO), Aide-de-Camp (ADC), the Director of SSS and also the police, so what is he doing with a consultant. What is he consulting? What we’re saying is that he should allow these people to do their work. They’re all capable”.

The ACF leader stated that for electoral reforms to be successful there has to be political will on the part of the Umaru Musa Y ar’ Adua-led administration and called for concerted actions that will build confidence in the citizens on the sincerity of the government to make elections free, fair and peaceful.