ACF asks union to lift ban on South-bound food

The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has called on the leadership of the Amalgamated Union of Foodstuff and Cattle Dealers in Nigeria (AUFCDN) to put a halt to the blockage of foodstuff from the North going to the South.

The Chairman of ACF, Chief Audu Ogbe, in a statement issued in Kaduna, said: “Nigeria is not at war with itself and such a drastic action is not necessary, but will only further complicate the socio-economic and political problems facing our country today.

“ACF shares the concerns of Nigerians over the decision of the AUFCDN to stop movements of needed food from the North to the South.

“We call on the leadership of the union to put a halt to their so-called embargo and blockade.”

Ogbeh further said, “The members of the union were said to have suffered severe losses during the #EndSARS riots and the recent violence in Sasha in Oyo State targeted against Northerners.

“But we believe that whatever may be the difficulties of their members in operating in other parts of the country, ACF leadership led by me is willing to help them solve these by talking to security agencies and the government.

“There is no need to mount a blockade by one section of the country against the other.

“Whatever may be our differences, the ACF as an ardent believer in free trade believes that goods should be allowed to move freely. This extreme measure is not progressive and is even counter-productive. This is not the way to go.”