By Michael Oche
Months of campaign promoting rights of Abuja Original Inhabitants is gaining necessary attention. Though, much still needs to be done, but MICHAEL OCHE writes that the advocacy is on track.
A few years ago, many Abuja Original Inhabitants feared what the future holds for them. The construction of a modern Abuja city had displaced many of them from their ancestral homes, and from spiritual symbols such as graveyards, rivers and mountains.
Their culture and traditions were fast eroding and under threat of extinction. Their communities were also being exploited by activities of mining companies who were not implementing CDAs entered with the communities.
And to add to it, they was marginalized politically. Hence, they had no one to fight for their rights. Indeed, there was genuine concern that if nothing is done urgently, in the next 50 years, there will have Original Inhabitants of Abuja who don’t even know anything about their culture.
Fast forward to today, many of the Abuja Original Inhabitants speak with optimism. There is a reawakening. Thanks to years of advocacy, capacity building and campaigns. This year, for the first time since Nigeria returned to democratic rule in 1999, an indigenous person from Abuja would be appointed Minister.
Also in August of 2022, for the first time in many years, a cultural show was put together at the Old Parade ground, Abuja to show the rich culture of the Abuja Original Inhabitants.
It was the first time many residents of Abuja and visitors were seeing Abuja in its raw, original form. Masquerades of different types and shape, drum men, locals with time ancient costume came out with ancient harp, lire and flute.
To prove how much things have improved, in August of 2023, again, the nine indigenous tribes of the FCT came together through the Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education with the support of MacArthur Foundation to celebrate their culture.
“So we are saying some of those campaigns we have joined the people to carry on are beginning to be recognized at the international level and at the national level,” Faith Nwadishi, executive Director Centre for Transparency Advocacy (CTA) said.
The CTA, where Nwadishi is executive director had joined other CSOs under a campaign sponsored by MacArthur foundation through CHRICED to lead an advocacy on promoting the rights of Abuja Original Inhabitants.
Travails of Abuja original inhabitants
The travails of the FCT Original Inhabitants began when Nigeria decided to relocate its capital from Lagos. The megacity was already bursting at its seams due to overpopulation, the crime rate was high and there were frequent disagreements between the federal and state authorities over space.
In 1976, the Federal Military Government of Nigeria promulgated Decree No. 6, initiating the removal of the national capital from Lagos to Abuja.
As the new Federal Capital city developed into a modern city, the original inhabitants lost ancestral sites, lands and culture.
“Many of us were relocated from our ancestral lands, leaving the graves of our forefathers and family members behind and they will now be destroyed. The desecration and destruction of our graves is a big issue which deserves huge compensation but they don’t pay any compensation for that. They don’t consider the heritage that is destroyed,” recalled Lazarus Nyaholo.
Nwadishi while aligning with the challenges faced with the Original Inhabitants said, “From across the globe when you have issues of indigenous people marginalised, they are promised a good life but as soon as developments starts, they are forgotten.”
How The Campaign Started
In August of 2021, the Resource Centre for Human Rights & Civic Education (CHRICED) secured a grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation for its work to support and strengthen the advocacy, voice and organizational development of the Original Inhabitant (OI) communities in Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Executive Director of CTA at the launch of the project in December of 2021 expressed hope that through the project government will become more responsive to address the injustices on the Original Inhabitants, including injustices arising from extractive mining on their lands.
At the time, the concerns of the Original Inhabitants were in need of urgent attention. Unfortunately, some of the inhabitants themselves admitted that they had giving up hope of any changes in their plight.
The Original Inhabitants were not only made stateless by the acquired status of FCT but has continued to suffer from environmental pollution, degradation, loss of farmlands and other means of livelihood occasioned by massive constructions within the territory.
The most grievous of these deprivations is the near loss of identity of the inhabitants who have been tossed into other states thereby compromising their ways of live and culture.
In the next 18 months, the CTA along with other organisations who were beneficiaries of the MacArthur Foundation grant through CHRICED commenced capacity building for the Original Inhabitants, visits were paid to key stakeholders and school competitions were held all in a bid for a renewed awakening, targeted at addressing the plight of the Original Inhabitants.
More Needs To Be Done
Despite the gains already recorded, so much is left undone. For instance, CTA had led a campaign seeking for the erection of a monument depicting the symbol of the FCT Original Inhabitants at the City Gate, which is the gateway into the heart of Abuja.
There has also been a renewed call on the National Assembly to revisit the bill on mayoral status for the FCT. Speaking on the call, Nwadishi said: “The assembly should look at that again now that the President has given an ‘olive branch’ by appointing an FCT indigene as a minister.
“The landscape of the FCT is more than about two to three states put together, even in population.
“At the national assembly, we have one representative in the Senate, but every other state in Nigeria has three representatives and at the House of Representatives constituents have up to three, five representatives.
“But the FCT has two representatives. So even if you bring a bill to the national assembly with one senator, you can imagine you are bringing a bill with one senator, the strength of influence is limited because it’s one person.”
Also speaking, Usman Halilu the Galadima of Jiwa, said: “Now we are being considered, and the ministerial position has been given, what is left for us is to get the mayoral seat.
“We will continue to struggle, making friends, making contacts within, definitely one day, there will be a mayoral seat for the FCT,” he said. Hopefully, the advocacy will lead to greater resilience and resolution of the age long struggle of the Abuja Original Inhabitants.
