CHIEF Sunday Awoniyi has been elected chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF). His election yesterday in Kaduna was followed by the retention of Col. Hamid Ali (rtd) as Secretary General of the northern socio-cultural group. Alhaji Magaji Dambata became chairman, Board of Trustees, previously held by Chief Awoniyi.

Apart from the election of the three officers, the ACF adopted a new 18-page constitution which abolished its Advisory Committee. At a previous meeting on October 21, 2003, the ACF received progress reports on the situation of the Bank of the North (BON). Briefing the ACF then, Alhaji Garba Yakassai said the interim Board of Directors, put in place by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), had discovered over N5 billion debts.

Alhaji Yakassai also told the ACF that of this amount, N1.5 billion had been written off as bad debt.

At the yesterday's meeting were Alhaji M.D.Yusuf, former chairman; Chief Sunday Awoniyi; Admiral Murtala Nyarko (rtd); Alhaji Liman Jibril and Gen. I.B.M. Haruna (rtd).

Also there were Lt. Gen Jeremiah Useni, Alhaji Ibrahim Coomasie, Alhaji Abubakar Alhaji, Alhaji Abubakar Rimi, Alhaji Sani Zango Daura, Alhaji Umaru Shinkafi, Senator Joseph Waku, Col. Hakilu Akilu (rtd), Alhaji Saidu Barde and Alhaji Liman Ciroma.

A source close to the meeting said the forum would focus on the privatisation of the Kaduna refinery, establishment of state chapters of ACF and the fate of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria.

: Please Contact us