A group to be known as Central Nigeria Peoples Forum (CNPF) has been formed to promote unity, peace and development among the ethnic groups within the region.
The Convener of the group, Dr.Bem Ugoh dropped the hint in a chat with pressmen in Makurdi
He said the forum is founded on the principles of peaceful coexistence and interaction to reduce mutual suspicion and mistrust as major sources of inter communal and ethnic hostilities within the region.
Ugoh, a public intellectual and social justice advocate of Tiv extraction from Benue state, explained that the initiative was in response to the current trend of regional integration and cooperation among federating units which further finds expression in the newly established development commissions for partitioned six regions in the country.
He said right from the 1914 Almagamated Northern and Southern protectorates, post independence Nigeria has evolved on a development trajectory that is largely factored on regional clusters to guarantee inclusion, fairplay and equity in patronage allocation.
He stressed the uniqueness of the North central region as the bedrock and balancing factor for National unity given its geo political centrality, preponderance in human and natural resources and a virile population, emphasizing that the agrarian and solid minerals potential of the regions remains a huge resource base for economic diversification.
He said a steering committee will soon be unveiled to harmonize representation from the respective ethnic groups for a summit on peace, unity and development in order to formally inaugurate its activities.
