AfricCon BlogspotMonday Round up of the top stories
Blog -Monday's Report
Top News - On July 4, 1978, the military regime led by General Olusegun Obasanjo issued a policy reversal to counter the recommendations made by Justice Akinola Aguda panel that FCT natives should be totally evacuated from their ancestral land. CHIKA OKEKE writes that thirty five years after, the original Inhabitants are yet to be compensated for their lands
Top News - On July 4, 1978, the military regime led by General Olusegun Obasanjo issued a policy reversal to counter the recommendations made by Justice Akinola Aguda panel that FCT natives should be totally evacuated from their ancestral land. CHIKA OKEKE writes that thirty five years after, the original Inhabitants are yet to be compensated for their lands
For Pastor Danladi Jeji, President of Original Inhabitant Development Association (OIDA), Abuja, the Aguda recommendation was based on false belief that our people were just few but when General Olusegun Obasanjo-led administration was presented with better demographic facts after a University of Ibadan survey of FCT likewise the cost of outright relocation, resettlement and compensation of N2.8 billion, he had no choice than to rescind its earlier position.
“As at that time, just 5, 000 natives opted to leave and there were about 350, 000 people that said they don’t want to leave Abuja city, so that prompted the government to make a policy reversal but because Nigeria’s budget was about N400 million then, the government gazette that, “those who are not affected by the first phase of resettlement but wish to move out of the territory may do so, but such people will have no claims on FCDA as they are not being forced to leave. This means that inhabitants not moved out during the present exercise or those who have decided to stay will now be deemed to be citizens of the FCT and FCDA will soon appoint an administrator to administer the territory and look after their welfare; the present land gazette as FCT will remain; the site selected for the building of FCT itself will be evacuated and resettlement of the people so evacuated takes place within or outside the Territory; the meagre funds available now should be spent more on development of infrastructure than on payment of compensation”.
He said the Original inhabitants were excited about the policy reversal but 35 years after the declaration, they were yet to be compensated adding that the federal government did not fulfill Section 44 of the 1999 constitution before taking over their ancestral land.
“When we heard the news, it was a very big relief that we will now have our own second tier. To our dismay, its now 35 years since the reversal and the government did not fulfill Section 44 of the 1999 constitution before taking over our land but they went ahead to inform Nigerians that we have been compensated.
According to him, “the original inhabitants are asking the Federal government to produce a document in relation to the purchase of our land and the possession of ownership. The policy reversal made it clear that FCT is not a “no man’s land” as misconceived by some Nigerians and that FCT land is not and has never been a virgin land where there are no people.
858 Indigenous Communities Lack Social Amenities
Jeji frowned that there are over 858 indigenous communities in FCT that had no access to electricity, water, and access road but are the backbone of agricultural products consumed by FCT residents.
“The Millennium Development Goals did a database study of communities in FCT in 2008 and revealed that there are 858 communities in FCT but the natives who hardly listen to news or understand English are in the villages of FCT and they are aware that the original inhabitants have been neglected by the government.
“They drink water from the pond, streams, they don’t have bridges and yet, they are the live wire and energy provider of the FCT residents because they are the real farmers.
On whether their grievances cover natives living in Old Karu and Old Nyanya, he added, “OIDA comprises of Gbagyi, Gbari, Igede, Gwandara, Ganagana, Bassa, Igbira, Koro and Mamaa. If you go to the neighbouring states, our people are found there, we have similar culture and they have existed there without causing war within ourselves. The only war that came here was through colonisation, so that is why there is no clear demarcation between FCT, Nasarawa, Niger and even Kwara states because our cultures are the same.
‘FCT Ripe For Three Senatorial Districts’
To this end, Jeji further requested that, “the democratic institutions of a second tier administration (state) should be unambiguously entrenched in the constitution when finally amended, two additional districts should be created for FCT, not less than four additional Federal constituencies should be added to the existing ones, 11 additional area councils and that a Minister shall be appointed from FCT indigenes into the Federal Executive Council after the amendment of Section 147 (3) of the 1999 constitution.
Also in their demands are that 20% proceeds accruable from all lands allocated in the Federal Capital City as well as 40% of all individual land allocations within Abuja city be given to them in the interest of peace, equity and justice.
He added, “The basis for requesting for increased Senatorial Districts, Federal constituencies, area councils is because OIDA has fulfilled all the criteria of law since the law states that there should be land mass and population.
“The 2006 census gives the data of FCT as 1, 405, 201 people. By that calculation alone, the law stipulates that every time, a geographical entity has about 500, 000 population, it is equivalent to one Senatorial District and FCT already has about 1.4 million people. This means we are ripe for three Senatorial Districts.
While calling on the federal government through the FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed to rectify the developmental challenges facing the original FCT inhabitants by not taking their patience for granted, he stressed that the government has turned FCT to commercial capital which would likely lead to chaos and confusion.
FCDA More Interested In Land Grabbing - Ezeazu
The Secretary-general, Alliance for Credible Elections (ACE), Mr Emma Ezeazu regretted that the Federal Capital Development Authority saddled with the responsibilities of addressing problems arising from land matters was more interested in land grabbing and described them as opportunists.
“The FCDA and FCT authorities that are saddled with this responsibility are most interested in land grabbing and they are very opportunistic in the way and manner they have attempted to deal with these problems.
“They have not attempted to tackle the problems in a very holistic manner because the entire land question and compensation in FCT should be put on the table where a lot of consultations should be made and a lot of public expertise should be involved.
