Natives of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have called on the 10th National Assembly to work in the interest of the indigenous people of Abuja, as they consider the interest of their people in their various states, by helping to end their prolonged plights.
An elder statesman and one of the major stakeholders of the FCT, Danjuma Tanko Dara, who made this call on behalf of the natives in a press briefing on Tuesday, congratulated the newly inaugurated lawmakers, urging them to listen to their cries.
Dara said that they have been long neglected by various governments, saying that it is time for the government and the National Assembly to pay attention to the needs of the indigenous peoples of Abuja.
He called on the 10th National Assembly to put into consideration the fact that the original inhabitants of Abuja are indigenous to their territories, their ancestral land which they have lived for centuries.
“The indigenous people of Abuja own the land; the land is their livelihood, their dignity, and pride. They have cultivated the land which is their greatest material and spiritual asset.
“However, It is on record that in 1976, the history of the original people of FCT was deconstructed and distorted with the movement of the federal capital from Lagos to Abuja by the military government,” he said.
He appealed to the National Assembly to pass a bill that would ensure that the original peoples of the FCT are integrated into the local and national framework of economic, political, and social development.
Dara further called on the 10th National Assembly and federal government to give proper consideration to the ancestral owners of land in FCT to give them a sense of belonging and equal representation and we are totally against the abuse of unconstitutional rule of governance.
According to him, an Abuja Court of Appeal had in 2018 ruled that indigenous people of the FCT were entitled to a ministerial representation in the Federal Executive Council as provided in several sections of the 1999 Constitution.
“We need a state status to increase our franchise beyond local government elections to enable us to have an executive governance structure, independent governing body and to expand our representation at the National Assembly.
“So, the federal government and the National Assembly should take a position on the constitutional legitimacy of land administration in the FCT to stop the marginalisation of the people.
“We also plead with the present government of Nigeria under President Bola Tinubu to honour the Appeal Court and ECOWAS Court judgments on the status of the FCT as an autonomous governance entity,” he said.
He further said that from the Gbagyi ethnic stock, based on the decision of the Court of Appeal and according to the provisions of Section 299 and Section 147 (3) of the 1999 Constitution, the 10th Senate should approve that indigenes of the territory should nominate one of theirs for appointment as a minister.
