The National Publicity Secretary of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Professor Tukur Muhammad Baba, in this interview with the Northern Bureau Chief, MUHAMMAD SABIU, speaks on how the ACF has been able to organise the interest of the North, especially with the emergence of sub-regional interest groups like the Middle Belt Forum as well as the plan to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the ACF.

YOU are the National Publicity of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF). What other information about you would want the public to know?

I am Tukur Muhammad Baba, DanIya Mutum Biyu and a Professor of Sociology. I am a former Dean of the Faculty of Social and Management at the Federal University, Birnin Kebbi and currently the National Publicity Secretary of the Arewa Consultative Forum.

Sir, I understand ACF will be celebrating its 25th anniversary, looking at the journey so far can we say the ACF has been able to unite the North?

Well, let’s begin by explaining the Forum first before I come to the second part of your question. The Arewa Consultative Forum was established 25 years ago in March 2000. It was set up by a number of Northern elite, traditional, military, leaders with the major objective of uniting the North along common causes that are of the interest to the region. If you look back until 1967 when states were created, the area we know as Northern region or Arewa stretches from Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Plateau to Sokoto, Kebbi, Kano, Bauchi Maiduguri, Jalingo, Minna. All these areas were under the Northern region. But following the creation of states, this vast entity was balkanised into smaller units. We had six states, then 12 states and now 19 states. Yes, other regions have suffered the same fate. Within the time under review, we have experienced a mixture of military and civilian rules since the present North came into being.

So, the North became balkanised politically. As time went on, we were not speaking with one voice. Although we couldn’t reverse the changes, and to be realistic the changes were meant to take care of a number of issues, especially the aspirations of the minority groups, the region has a common destiny of social geography as well as the geography of being in the North of Nigeria.

The North Is made up of the two-thirds of the total land mass, and it has the highest number of ethnic or tribes in Nigeria. But like I said the contiguity of social geography means it is imperative we deal with divisiveness and so on.

You asked me in the 25 years whether the ACF has succeeded in uniting the North.

Well, it is not a question of uniting the North, but a question of coming to an agreement on issues of common interests, common directions, and so on. To that or to a large extent, the ACF has succeeded in uniting the North. As I said, it is difficult to re- configure the former Northern Nigeria because of different interests. Let me admit also that even within the former Northern region, there were differences: the social differences between social groups on the basis of ethnicity, on the basis of religion, economic interest and so on. So there cannot be that solid unity. So ACF is to engage on [issues that] are common. Remember the organisation is a consultative forum. It is to provide a platform where people from the social geographic North, whatever their differences, can speak on common issues.

Let me give an example: if we are agitating for infrastructure, every tribe, every group will be affected positively or negatively. We talk of political direction of the country. Nigeria has become a melting pot as such. Let me say too the relationship between the different groups in the North has become what we call a pot of spaghetti: each one is an individual piece but you cannot pick it because it will break. It is better to enjoy it as a mixture. Although there are differences, as each one is a stick, but once you cook it, it becomes mixed and you enjoy the delicacy. That explains maybe the configuration of the North. The group has interacted so much that no section can pursue its interest on its own. No single group can isolate itself and say it is different from the others. So in terms of bringing the North to pursue a common interest, we can say the ACF has achieved a lot. Unlike the other sections of the country, ACF is not an ethnic or tribal group because we have over 200 tribes in the region. Our major strength and unity is the social geography and then social interactions of different interests. Even though these Interests are not the same, they intersect. We share common destiny. It might not be one North as it used to be, but today, the region is a conglomeration of different groups.

We are also from the geographical North and we are part of the project called the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The North today cannot be defined in its own terms, but it has to be defined in the context of Northern Nigeria. Unlike other groups, we are not tribal based. The membership of ACF cuts across all the Northern groups. The ACF, I will say, is one of the internationally recognised groups. [It is recognised] in the world because of the role we played and continue to play. We are generally a pressure group. We are not political. We articulate positions. For instance, how does a certain policy affect the North positively or negatively? With all sense of modesty, I will say ACF has achieved a tremendous part of its mandate.

Now, how are you dealing with the interest of other sub-regional groups like the Middle Belt Forum, etc?

This is a democratic dispensation. Let me go back and say the North has never been one or monolithic. If you go back to the period leading up till the collapse of the First Republic, if you come to the North, there were two legislative houses: the House of chiefs and the Northern House of Assembly. The major political party then was the Northern People’s Congress (NPC), but there were other minority parties too. For example, there were representatives in the Northern House of Assembly from Borno, Kwara, Benue, Niger etc. So the region has never been united ideologically. So you can see we have always had these differences.

So, how do you deal with the modern-day organisations in the region?

They have a right to belong. They have a right to canvass or propagate their ideals or positions in line with constitutional provisions. I would say the more the better, because we have a variety. We disagreed but we also have instances of agreements. Let me give you a recent example: when the ECOWAS, led by Nigeria, tried to invade or rather threatened to invade the Niger Republic, ACF was the first to raise the alarm.

We told the regional body, you cannot do that. Shortly after, the Middle Belt Forum came also to oppose the threat. So we don’t always speak in divergent voices. As I said, ours is to encourage common interest. I would say, another recent example is the opposition or the debate on the recent tax reform. ACF is the only organisation that articulated a comprehensive position because it was assumed the region was against it. No section of the North opposed our position. In fact, what emerged as the ultimate bills that were signed by the president represents at least 80 per cent of our recommendations. On the future political reforms, we made comprehensive submissions which we submitted to the National Assembly. We shared with governors and also shared with traditional rulers and so on. All our positions have been pan-Nigeria with particular reference on how it would impact positively on the North.

As I said, the North is like a social rainbow. If you go to any market in any part of the region, the rainbow [people of all tribes and ethnicities] is engaged in buying, selling and interacting. The major backbone of our economy is still agriculture, animal husbandry and production. In spite of our political orientation, our dressing, our food culture, with little differences here and there, we are still the North. For example, acca (a special delicacy) is consumed in Plateau and Kaduna states as well as in Sokoto and Borno states. That means even in food culture, we have commonality. Even in dressing, we have commonality. Hausa language is one of the most widely spoken languages in the region. Even those who are not Hausas communicate through Hausa. The common language you can find is either Hausa or English in the region. So these are all uniting factors.

Again, we have the ability to communicate, ability to travel, without necessarily wanting to invent another route. So, there is great potential in getting the North to unite along common identifiable factors to the mutual benefits of all groups. If you go to the South, for political reasons, everyone is a Fulani. Why? This is because they are looking at the Northerners from the angle of language. But it goes beyond that, not knowing that the virtue of social geography is what connects the people of the region.

Also, the idea that the Hausas and Fulani are the same is not correct. They speak different languages. We have Nupe who speaks Hausa and other languages. We have a vast number of Kanuris who are speaking Hausa language and Kanuri. They have never been called Kanuri/Hausa. So if you remove the political levels, insinuations, there is great potential in redefining the North. Even with these differences, Northerners have nowhere to go but the North ultimately. Northerners have no option but to unite to fight a common ground, even as we retain differences, whether from an ethnic point of view or religious point of view, and so on. We have our divisions, for instance, while we don’t have a Middle Belt Governors Forum, we have the North-East Governors Forum; we have the Northern Governors forum. We have the North-West Governors Forum and the North-Central Governors Forum. In fact, the most diverse of these forums representing different groups are the North-East and the North-Central governors’ forums. Maybe the North-West will claim a semblance of cultural homogeneity even then it is not hundred percent.

I still insist the most diverse part of the country is actually the North. We have had our problems, skirmishes here and there, but at the general level, I think there is an agreement that we belong to one social geography. I keep emphasizing social geography because that is what defines the North. By social, we mean it is representing all social aspects, political and economy. The geography represents the rivers, the vast savannah, valleys, from Mambilla to the plain land in Sokoto to the valleys of River Niger and River Benue. Basically, we have one destiny and we are one in terms of identity.

How far has the ACF reached out to other regional groups like Afenifere, Ohanaeze, etc?

ACF has maintained great relationship with the other groups. To the best of my knowledge, the ACF is the first to visit Ohanaeze many years ago, more than 10 years ago. This is what we are. We have to discuss our issues with other regional groups. I remember the Ohanaeze said they will get back to us and until now they are yet to get back. Maybe in future and anytime, we are ready to receive them. We are ACF because there is Nigeria.

All our past leaders have always emphasised the need to reach out to other groups. We believe that all the different components must come together to promote the project called Nigeria. I personally believe that the disintegration of Nigeria will be one of the most catastrophic social demographic experience that will shake the world more than the disintegration of Pakistan and India.

If you say you want to divide Nigeria today, you will spend 100 years of trying to get the [total agreement] of so-called ethnic nationalities. Intermarriage, travels, politics, globalisation, and so on, have brought these ethnic groups together. Let me give an example, in Kebbi State, there is a settlement sharing borders with about three countries, Benin Republic, Niger Republic and Nigeria.

There are markets in different parts of the town. So you find a man having a marriage with a person from Benin Republic. He also has in-laws in Niger Republic or has uncles in Benin Republic. The difference between the houses in Nigeria and Niger Republic is not more than six meters.

Why is this so?

Historically, it is the boundary adjustments that made it possible for the people to remain like that. Communities just found themselves where they are with boundaries allocated to them. So, Northern Nigeria is a conglomeration of different identities, and nations put together. Some of the ethnic groups never encountered Europeans directly; they just found themselves within a boundary established by colonialists and found themselves in Nigeria. They are many groups that never negotiated with any political entity called Nigeria. This phenomenon is beyond their control. This has remained and since then there have now been bound by laws, where do you want them to go? (Sunday Tribune)