Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja

The  Interim Chairman of the newly formed North Central Peoples’ Forum (NCPF), Chief Gabriel Aduku, has said that the NCPF is not a break-away group from the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), the socio-cultural umbrella body of the Northern Nigeria.

Aduku, a former Minister of State, Health, also said that the main objective of NCPF is to bring development closer to the people of the North-central geopolitical zone since other geopolitical zones were doing the same.

Amongst other thought-provoking issues, the Kogi State-born Aduku surprisingly told Sunday Sun in this exclusive interview in Abuja that the Chairman of the ACF, Chief Audu Ogbeh, is part of the NCPF.

At what point did your group, the North Central Peoples’ Forum, got disinterested in the activities of the ACF?

Remove the word ‘disinterested.’ We are very much interested in the formation of ACF. Some of us are partners in ACF from the beginning. I am number 12 on the list when all the associations collapsed into one. The Emir of Ilorin was in charge of it and the late Suleiman Ciroma was the secretary that pulled various groups together from the North and made it one, which is Arewa Consultative Forum. If you go into it, I am number 12 on the website if you see it and I still remain there. And until recently when we had to retire from certain positions, I had been a BoT member there.

Are you saying you are still part of the ACF? 

We are part of this country. ACF as ACF is a body that is interested in ensuring that there is good governance in the country. Yes! This also has the same principles of seeing the governors that are within the North-central states to tidy themselves and take responsibility for the development of their zone just as there is the Southeast zone, they are functioning under Ohanaeze very well; the Southwest is functioning very well under Afenifere, and the South-south with our elder statesman, Chief Edwin Clarke, is functioning. All these are working and recently, the Northeast group also had a commission. You can see development being projected. The Northwest may be doing that very soon; where is North-central as geographically positioned?

Are you insisting that your group is still under ACF?

There is no ‘under.’ Everybody is free to organise something. But you can organise and still be part of a bigger… We are not saying it is something separate.

So, we can rightfully say it was borne out of the quest to be alone?

Not even to be alone. To be part of a development progress for Nigeria. We are right in the centre.

Is it a regional identity?

If you want to put it that way.

Now that you have separated from the ACF…

(Cuts in) We have not separated. Remove that word. It is almost by an understanding of the country now. All political parties recognise the zones. Even government as a government today recognises zones. So, what we are saying is that we are re-emphasising that there is a zone called the North-central and it has to address itself as North-central, while even participating in ACF affairs. It is not.

In terms of development, is it not better to be in the larger group in order to have enough strength?

Today, the way Nigeria is, I must tell you, if we want to sincerely develop, we go to the last ladder of the structure of this country so far that will face it. That means the ward that you belong to. Go there and organise it and get them disciplined. It is the last element that is actually recognised apart from INEC that recognises voting points when Nigerians go to declare their interest for whatever, which is also in government. So, my position is; there are wards throughout this country. Let the wards come together and realise what is available to them in government and how it is necessary to ensure that your people comply with constitutional provisions in respect of discipline. So, it is not a matter of you are doing your own separately and you are not doing your own separately.

Since a son of the North-central, Chief Audu Ogbeh, is the leader of the ACF…

(Cuts in) He is part of what we are doing.

Oh! He is part of what you are doing?

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Oh yes! Everybody in North-central, we are all part of it and partially also, we are relating.

How are you going to address the reason that necessitated the formation of your group?

We will come together just like the Afenifere came together with their governors and put Amotekun together. If it is necessary to do so, to carve our own, we can copy from them. Or we can improve on whatever community security that government itself is putting down; we draw our attention to it and see what contribution we can make because insecurity is a first line problem of this whole country.

Most people are saying that this is a rebellion coming from a minority group. Is it true?

No. There is no rebellion, it is a renaissance. We are growing into that.

Renaissance?

Yes, positive renaissance. We want to do things again that come nearer to the people. That is all.

Bringing development home?

That is why I told you the last line of government’s recognition of boundaries is the ward. If we all go back to our ward and put it right, then we begin to link back to our local government, local government to state and then, the states congregate again and do something and that has been done administratively – Northwest, Central, Northeast, South-south, Southeast and Southwest. Six of them. They always say six. So, where is the place of North-central? That is all we are talking.

Do you have the by-in, the support of your governors?

They are very keen.

Are they with you?

It is not about with me. They are keen about the objective of what we are doing, what we are putting together.

They are keen and they are part of this body are two different things. They can be keen in isolation. Are they supporting you?

Very much so! We are in contact with them as we were forming and none of them has said no to what we are doing. So, we believe we will be working together.

And this will not affect their relationship with other governors who are not from this zone?

This has nothing to do with that. For instance, all the northern governors, including myself, support Ahmadu Bello Foundation and they have a regular meeting they do there and all the rest of it. So, it is still there. Whatever benefits there are in that larger thing, oh, the better! Refine it from smaller mood into that. So, we don’t want the North-central to be ignored or to be confused with other configurations. That is all; that is the purpose we had to put it right.

Financially, how do you intend to sustain what you are doing?

Don’t worry about that. Even you can contribute. Bring your N5,000 and we put it inside.

But I am from the South-south…

If you see the address, I also put it there that we expect the others that are settled to support us to grow like them.