As the Federal capital Territory Clock 50th after it pronouncement as the capital of Nigeria years ago, The indigenous people of this geographical area through their umbrella platform, FCT Stakeholders Assembly (FCTSA)
has cried out over their marginalization and other forms of ill treatment melted on them over the administration of the affairs of the territory that excluded them and therefore ask President Bola Tinubu to urgently initial executive constitutional review in collaboration with National Assembly that will correct this injustice.
The President of the Assembly, Dr Aliyu Daniel Kwali, màde this call yesterday in Abuja during the Organization press conference and 1st quarter Town Hall meeting marking the City 50th anniversary since the creation; of FCT to evaluate how far this capital City has affected them for the past five decades.
“Today marks fifty years since the creation of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.On 3 February 1976, the then Military Head of State, General Murtala Ramat Mohammed, announced the establishment of a new Federal Capital Territory for Nigeria.
While the Federal Government may today reflect on achievements in urban planning, architecture, and infrastructure development, this anniversary carries a very different meaning for the Original Inhabitants of the FCT.For the Original Inhabitants, the past fifty years have been marked not by celebration, but by systematic dispossession, exclusion, and marginalization.
Fifty Years of Unresolved Injustice over these five decades, the Original Inhabitants of the FCT have borne deep and enduring scars, including:Socio-economic segregation and political exclusionLoss of ancestral lands and livelihoodsForced demolitions of homes and community infrastructureDesecration of cultural sites, burial grounds, and places of worshipPersistent poverty imposed by policy, not choiceThese are not abstract grievances. They are lived realities that distinguish indigenous FCT communities from other citizens of Nigeria, not by choice, but by constitutional and administrative design.
A Pattern of DiscriminationSection 42(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) guarantees freedom from discrimination. Yet in practice, the Original Inhabitants of the FCT experience systematic denial of rights enjoyed by other Nigerians.Through legislation and administrative action.
the Federal Government has imposed restrictions and disabilities on indigenous FCT communities solely because of their identity as Original Inhabitants.This pattern has manifested most visibly in forced demolitions, often carried out without adequate notice, assessment, compensation, or resettlement — a practice that remains peculiar to indigenous communities within the FCT.
Political and Civic Exclusion Although Section 299 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) recognizes the FCT as a state for constitutional purposes, the FCT remains structurally excluded from the full political rights accorded to other states.As a result:Indigenous FCT residents cannot contest or vote in gubernatorial and State House of Assembly electionsThe FCT remains severely under-represented in legislative structures
The federal character principle under Section 14(3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) has been applied in a manner that consistently excludes indigenous FCT citizens from key federal appointment.
On this fiftieth anniversary, the FCT Stakeholders’ Assembly presents the following demands, Land and Resettlement JusticeAdoption of international best practices in land acquisition, compensation, and resettlementFair and adequate compensation for communities displaced by development projects
Recognition and protection of customary land rights of indigenous FCT communities
Political Representation and EqualityConstitutional reforms to remove provisions that deny FCT indigenous peoples equality with citizens of other statesDemarcation of the FCT into three senatorial districtsCreation of additional federal constituencies to address under-representation Reclassification of Area Councils as Local Government Areas, consistent with other states of the federation
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Cultural Protection Immediate halt to the desecration of ancestral lands and cultural heritageLegal protection for sacred sites, burial grounds, and traditional institutions.
In Conclusion, As stakeholders and volunteers in the struggle for justice, we are fully aware of the challenges ahead, yet we remain resolute in our conviction that development must not be built on exclusion, and national unity.
cannot be sustained where a people are denied dignity. The President Added.