The National Christian Elders Forum, NCEF, yesterday, urged President Bola Tinubu to adopt the recommendations of the 2014 National Conference Report.
Members of the forum include Dr. Samuel Gani, Gen. Zamani Lekwot (retd), and Elder Shyngle Wigwe.
The Christian elders, who addressed a press conference in Abuja, said implementing the confab report will transform Nigeria’s governance to achieve stability and lasting peace.
Speaking at the press briefing, the Chairman of the Forum, Dr Samuel Gani, highlighted the relentless assaults by Islamist insurgents in the North and the displacements caused by foreign invaders across Nigeria.
Gani said: “This is the time for indigenous ethnic groups to carefully distinguish their allies from their adversaries. The extensive loss of life in Nigeria, involving indigenous Christians, Muslims, and traditionalists, demonstrates that these groups face a common enemy—a foreign invader.
“The ongoing violence in Nigeria is not driven by the indigenous ethnic groups. Regrettably, some local actors have been misled into believing they were pursuing a religious cause, but the real orchestrators have no such intentions. It’s all about racial displacement.
“In light of these facts, the National Christian Elders Forum, NCEF, recommends the following: The implementation of the 2014 National Conference Report, including a draft for a new Nigerian Constitution, should proceed without delay. “NCEF aligns itself with the Patriots Group, which held a conference on March 18, 2024, and called for a new Nigerian Constitution.
“The National Assembly’s repeated amendments to the existing Constitution should cease. Instead, legislators should begin crafting a new Constitution for Nigeria. After five alterations with no substantial positive change, the Assembly should start adopting the 2014 National Conference report and its draft Constitution.
“Nomadic cattle rearing should be banned immediately. Cattle owners should be required to establish ranches at their own expense, as independent business owners. The government should not finance one industry at the expense of others in the country. When cattle are sold, the proceeds belong to the owners, not the government.
“The RUGA project should be abolished. Firstly, the Federal Government does not have the statutory right to allocate land under the Land Use Act in Nigeria. This responsibility belongs to the states. Business investors requiring land should apply like other citizens. Preferential treatment should not be given to any particular group.
“Indigenous ethnic groups should assert their rights and ownership of ancestral lands and maintain control over their regions in Nigeria.
“Ethnic socio-cultural groups such as Afenifere, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Arewa Consultative Forum, Middle Belt Forum, and PANDEF should give serious thought to these matters.”
