Oba Oladipo Olaitan, Afenifere leader
The Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) has appealed to university lecturers, journalists and medical workers to suspend planned strikes and return to negotiations with the Federal Government.
In a communiqué issued after its meeting, the Forum urged the government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to resume talks to prevent a campus shutdown. It also called on resident doctors to end their ongoing industrial action, warning that poorer Nigerians would bear the brunt of the disruption to healthcare.
Reading the resolutions, Oba Oladipo Olaitan said the Forum was concerned about rising tensions across key sectors. He urged unions to “consider the plight of ordinary citizens” as they pressed their demands.
On security, the Forum condemned recent attacks, including the killing of Brigadier General Musa Uba and the abduction of schoolgirls in Kebbi State. It urged the government to deploy “maximum resources” and work with international partners to rescue victims and stabilise affected communities.
The communiqué, signed by leaders of Afenifere, the Middle Belt Forum and PANDEF, also warned against growing political tensions and what it described as attempts to tilt the country toward one-party dominance. The group called on INEC to act early to safeguard the 2027 electoral process.
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