From ABDULGAFAR ALABELEWE, Kaduna, PAUL ORUDE, Bauchi, DESMOND MGBOH, Kano, NDUBUISI ORJI, REMI ADEFULU and DESMOND MGBOH, Kano

Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has faulted the presidential declaration of state of emergency on Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, saying the military approach is not a better alternative to dialogue. This was part of the ACF’s resolution at the end of its national executive council meeting held in Kaduna on Tuesday.

The forum said: “The meeting was concerned that the president appears to invest more faith in a military solution even where evidence from our experiences so far bears no such optimism.”

According to the communiqué issued at the end of the meeting and signed by the Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Fati Ibrahim, ACF said: “Given the dismal history of peace-making campaigns by the military all over the world, dispatching battalion after battalion to the field in the hope of combating insurgents or terrorists, sound naïve.” … NUF commends Jonathan Ndigbo Unity Forum (NUF) has commended President Goodluck Jonathan for declaring emergency rule in the three troubled states in the northern parts of the country, saying it is the right step in the right direction.

The NUF said: “We hereby call on the security agent to flush out those criminal that have been killing people and security personnel. Let the Federal Government declare total war against those criminals anywhere they are hiding and bring to justice.

This is the only way the government will prove to Nigerians that it is serious about the security of the citizens. … Junaidu Mohammed expresses reservations The National Chairman of the defunct Peoples Progressive Party (PSP), Dr. Junaidu Mohammed has expressed serious reservations over the declaration of state of emergency by President Goodluck Jonathan on Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states. Speaking to Daily Sun in Kano, he said the constitution had been undermined by the exercise, pointing out that the president, under the constitution, could not declare a state of emergency while at the same time retained the political office holders in the same environment. …

It’s self-indictment –David-West As the recent declaration of state of emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states continues to elicit comments, former minister of petroleum, Prof. Tam David-West has faulted the action, describing it as self-indictment on President Goodluck Jonathan. He said by the action, the president was saying that he failed in the task of providing security for the affected areas.

The former petroleum minister spoke yesterday in an interview with journalists in Lagos State after receiving a symbol of integrity award from the Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL), for his contributions to the fight against corruption in the country.

Others honoured alongside David-West for contribution in anti corruption crusade in the county were the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi, former Lagos State governor, Lateef Jakande, Alhaji Razaq Bamidele of The Sun Publishing Limited and Corporal Azeez Arogundade of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF). … It’s best option –Salis A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State, Chief Owolabi Salis has commended the Federal Government for introducing emergency rule to tackle insurgency in parts of the North. Speaking with Daily Sun, he said it was the best option at this time.

According to him, it was therefore wrong for the opposition to oppose the idea. … It’s belated –Bauchi CAN scribe The state Secretary of Christians Association of Nigeria (CAN), Bauchi State, Rev. Joshua Maina has described the declaration of the state of emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa as belated. Maina said the action was a reactive measure taken by President Goodluck Jonathan, saying that it should not have been used as a last resort to curtail insurgency in the North.

He, however, commended the president for the initiative, but lamented that it was coming at a time when a massive destruction of lives and property had already taken place in most vulnerable northern states. The CAN scribe gave his view in an interview with Daily Sun in Bauchi. … Ploy to conceal Jonathan’s poor handling of security –TSAV Former commissioner of police of Lagos State, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav, yesterday in Kano, said the declaration of a state of emergency in three states in the North was another ploy by President Goodluck Jonathan and his administration to conceal their poor handling of the security challenges facing the country.

The social critics said the declaration in Yobe, Borno and Adamawa states was not exactly new to Nigerians or a fresh option by the administration as the North and indeed some of these states had all along been under a state of emergency.

According to him, the states affected by the emergency measure had always had military roadblocks, as well as the destruction of houses, including the arrest and detention of Nigerians on suspicion that they were members of the Boko Haram sect.