FCT, Abuja – The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has weighed in on Nigeria’s worsening economic crisis, arguing that leadership failures at all levels of government are to blame.
Meanwhile, Nigerians have taken to social media to express their frustrations over the country’s economic crisis. Many citizens have blamed both state and federal governments for failing to implement policies that alleviate hardship, calling for urgent reforms and transparency in governance.
Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) spokesperson, Professor Mohammed Baba, disclosed this during an exclusive interview with Legit.ng on Saturday, March 29.
ACF: Leadership failure beyond the FG
The ACF has urged citizens to demand accountability from their local representatives rather than placing sole responsibility on the presidency.
“In other countries, councilors, state assembly legislators, and national lawmakers are held accountable by their constituents. They return to their communities to justify their actions. That is where true leadership starts,” Baba concluded.
He emphasized that Nigerians must begin to scrutinize all tiers of government, from councilors and state lawmakers to federal representatives and the presidency.
“Leadership encompasses all these levels of representation and positions, so when things go wrong, we need to start questioning from the bottom up,” Baba stated.
Professor Baba lamented that Nigerians tend to focus too much on the federal government while neglecting the responsibilities of local and state governments.
“In my opinion, those two levels of government—local government and state governments—are comfortable with this arrangement because they are not held accountable. Once you keep pointing at the federal government, you fail to notice what’s happening at the grassroots level,” he explained.
He likened the situation to someone who keeps directing attention to the sky while secretly taking advantage of the distractions on the ground.
ACF on the role of local authorities in basic education
Citing the state of basic education in Nigeria, Baba stressed that primary and secondary education are the constitutional responsibilities of local and state governments.
However, he noted that poor infrastructure, unpaid teachers, and neglected schools have become the norm due to a lack of accountability at these levels.
“Basic education is the foundation of every society. It is the primary duty of local governments to ensure quality education, yet they have failed woefully.
“If you visit many primary schools today, you will find broken doors, missing windows, and teachers who haven’t been paid for months,” he said.
Baba also questioned the federal government’s role in running secondary schools, arguing that unity schools should be entirely managed by states and local governments.
“The federal government has no business running secondary schools; that should be left to the states and local governments,” he added.
Hardship: Deeone berates 30DaysRantChallenge
Previously, reported that mixed reactions have followed a viral video of Nigerian social media commentator Deeone discussing the state of the economy.
In solidarity, Nigerians started a 30DaysRantChallenge on X (formerly known as Twitter) and other platforms after an NYSC member was silenced.
