By Ismaila Jimoh, Abuja
A coalition of indigenous groups and residents in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has appealed for the prompt intervention of the FCT Minister, Barr. Nyesom Wike over what they called indiscriminate demolition of indigenous settlements across the nation’s capital city.
In particular, the coalition singled out the recently demolition carried out in Kuchibedna community in Kafe District by a developer, which according to them left thousands homeless and threatening the cultural heritage of the original inhabitants of the territory, calling for adequate compensation for the affected natives and residents.
The Coordinator of the FCT Senior Citizens Forum, Elder Danjuma Tanko Dara, in a press briefing in Abuja on Friday, voiced the collective frustration of indigenous communities, demanding justice for those displaced by the recent demolitions.
“We are calling on the Honourable Minister, Barrister Nyesom Wike, to ensure that all affected natives and residents in the Kuchibedna community are compensated,” he said.
The community leader emphasised that the crisis extends far beyond Kuchibedna, noting that apart from residents of Kuchibedna community, other affected communities in the FCT that have been displaced by demolition, like Gishiri, Dagbalo, among others should also be compensated.
Elder Dara issued a warning to the FCT administration and the federal government about the potential consequences of continuing the current policy of displacement without adequate compensation.
“The minister should put an end to the indiscriminate demolition of natives of Abuja communities all in the name of public interest, because the natives are gradually being pushed to the wall and anything that would not be in the interest of anybody might happen if care is not taken,” he said.
The coordinator of the Senior Citizens Forum, while challenging the current administration’s approach to urban development, posed a fundamental question about the rights of indigenous people in the FCT.
“There is no state in Nigeria where the original inhabitants of the state do not have their villages. Why are the natives of the FCT treated as second-class citizens who have no right to live in their ancestral land, by taking away their land to give to a non-indigenous developer?
“We are true citizens of Nigeria and we should be treated as such. That is why we are advocating for our elected governor, more House of Representatives and Senate members. Because if we have the complete democratic structures in the FCT, all this kind of things would not happen.
“The federal government should end this marginalization of the FCT natives by ensuring that we are given the democratic structures that is due to the FCT as the 37 state of Nigeria. We cannot continue to endure the induscriminate demolition of our houses, all these must stop. Enough is enough,” he said.
The demolition in Kuchibedna represents the latest in a series of similar incidents that have displaced indigenous communities across the FCT.
“It is sad that most times, the residents are being given little or no notice before bulldozers arrived to demolish homes, businesses, and community structures. They are treated like refugees in their own land that they have lived for centuries.
“The continuous displacement without adequate compensation or resettlement options constitutes a systematic erosion of indigenous heritage in the capital city. The government fails to understand that cultural and historical significance of our communities cannot be measured merely in square meters of land.
“We are calling on the FCT minister to intervene and correct the anomaly, because presently, he represents a critical test for the FCT administration, balancing the demands of urban development against the rights and welfare of the Abuja original inhabitants,” he said.
END.
