One bedroom flat at lifecamp for rent.
1.6M excluding service charges.

Another Selfcon at Galadimawa going for 200k excluding service charge.

The Abuja Grassroots Advocacy Projects an FCT natives group have claimed responsibility for the defeat of the Nigeria Super Eagles against the Ghana national Team. The group claimed that since the Nigerian Government was adamant in compensating the original occupants of the kukwaba district before their partial resettlement to kubwa, Nigeria should never expect any victory from both local and international tournament where the Abuja National stadium was used.

The group also claimed the Federal Government was treating the FCT natives like third class citizens and the long term consequences will continue to haunt and demean Nigeria’s dignity until the the long aged issues against the Nigeria government are addressed.

Yunusa Ahmadu Yusuf
Buhun Barkonun Abuja
Abuja Chief Advocate

AbujaCitiBlog:

From the responses I am getting here, I realize that a lot of Nigerians are dumb. FCT is a federal ministry. That's the designation. It wasn't intended to be a state. It was carved out from 4 states. Indigenes were relocated and paid compensation. Get your facts right. It is just like Washington DC. Let's be guided. It was created as a novel place where every Nigerian will see himself or herself as having equal status. Nothing like indigenes here.

But self serving politicians are pushing ignorant youths to go and confront government.

The lone FCT Senator is desperate, he wants to hand over the baton to somebody but he needs a position for himself. That's why he is behind the push for Mayoral status for FCT

Wrong and misguided submission.

Government never fulfilled their financial obligations to the indigenes.

Infact, Obasanjo said the cost of relocating and compensating the indigenous people of FCT was more than what it will cost the government of the day to integrate them into the development of FCT.

Please do your research properly and asked questions before commenting ignorantly on issues you know nothing about.

Olanrewaju Osho
MARCH 21, 2022 10:30 AM

The Nigerian constitution means many things to many people. To some, it doesn’t exist at all. This category of people sees Nigeria as a country without a constitution. They argue that since the collapse of the first republic in 1966, Nigeria has never had the privilege of going through any true constitution drafting process. They also posit that Nigeria has never been governed by any constitution that is drafted and owned by the people since the military overtook the civilian government in 1966.

To some other folks, what is called the constitution of Nigeria today is a big fraud. They assert that instead of calling it the constitution of Nigeria, it should be called Abdusalam Abubakar’s constitution. They argue that the document was a military decree transformed overnight into a constitution. They submit that the endorsement of “we the people” inserted into the opening page was fraudulently done since the people were neither consulted nor regarded in the formation process of the constitution. This category of Nigerians argues that the only thing the constitution is good for is to be discarded into the dustbin of history.

The third group believes that the document produced by the military regime of Abdusalam Abubakar and handed over to the fourth republic born on May 29, 1999, indeed qualifies to be called a constitution. They argue that no constitution is perfect and canvass for the amendment of any areas of concern in the constitution whenever the need arises. Leading in this group is the government of the day represented by the executive and the legislative arms of government.

It was in the spirit of this position that the national assembly in the early days of March 2022 voted on the various items pushed forward for considerations by thousands of Nigerians who participated in the constitutional amendments hearing exercises carried out nationwide by the 9th assembly.

It is to this window of constitutional amendment that many Nigerians who have issues to grind with the constitution have looked
with delicate hope until the early days of March 2022. Some of these Nigerians who were expecting to sing a new song after the constitutional amendment had their hopes terribly dashed. The people of federal capital territory – the indigenes, in particular, are prominent amongst the people in this category.

The FCT indigenous people and many of the residents had been hopeful that their submissions to the constitution review committee that sat in Minna, the capital of Niger state, will be overwhelmingly approved by the lawmakers and get passed into law.

During the constitution amendments voting at the floor of the national assembly, only three of the myriads of issues submitted in the memorandum for the federal capital territory made the list of issues to be voted on. The considered issues were listed as numbers 60, 61 and 62 respectively. They are:

60. Request for creation of Office of the Mayor for FCT. The issue was rejected.

61. Appointment of an FCT minister from the FCT. The issue was rejected.

62. Bill to correct the error in the definition of the boundary of the federal capital territory, Abuja. The issue was passed.

Out of the three FCT issues that got picked for voting, two of the issues related directly to the conditions of the people of FCT and the last issue related to boundary adjustment. The two that related directly to the people were rejected. The rejection of those issues follows the entrenched pattern of showing minimum concern and paying scant attention to the issues that affect the citizens of the federal capital territory, the quality of leadership in the territory and the quality of life of the residents many of whom are the original inhabitants.

The bill for the creation of the office of the Mayor of FCT and the request for the appointment of a minister from the FCT were carefully put forward to address the low quality of leadership in the FCT and poor quality of representation of the residents in the federal executive council. Both of these critical issues have negatively affected the development of the territory and the injustice meted to the original inhabitants of the territory.

The decision of the national assembly members to reject the request for the creation of the Mayor’s office might have stemmed from the fact that the local government system known as area councils already exists in the FCT and the duties of a Mayor and a local government chairman quite look similar. A thorough assessment of the current area council system would have however shown them how the system has contributed significantly to the challenge of arrested development that has been the lot of the territory since 1999 when Nigeria returned to democratic rule. A proactive national assembly would have carefully assessed the situation and proposed reforms that will accelerate development in the territory.

The federal capital territory is in a quagmire because of the muddled up administrative structure of the territory. Most of the developed part of the city falls within Abuja Municipal Area Council, but 99% of that is administered by the minister of federal capital territory administration. The Area Council Chairman has neither the resources nor the political leverage to carry out any serious development Projects in these areas known as the City Center and developed part of the city Cadastral Zones A to C. The ministry is highly bureaucratic, lacking in innovation, very corrupt and sluggish with designing, developing or embracing development ideas. As a result, Abuja is fast becoming a city surrounded by urban slums and the city is gradually falling apart. Rethinking the area council system by collapsing it under or fusing it into the mayoral system would have promoted more efficiency in the administration of the territory and enhanced progressive development. But typical of the Nigeria national assembly, taking revolutionary decisions is not their familiar stuff. It was not surprising therefore that they threw away these proposals as they did the diaspora voting bill, women affirmative action and a host of others.

The need for the constitution to provide for the appointment of a minister from the FCT is to promote fairness and equity. The constitution provides in section 14 (3) for the president to appoint a minister from every state of the federation. The same law in section 299 confers the status of a state on the FCT even though it is not regarded as the 37th state of Nigeria. It is fair therefore to appoint a minister from FCT so that the territory can have someone who understands its problems, peculiarities and issues very well and will advocate for solutions to these issues at the right quarters.

The original inhabitants have suffered so much injustice that remains largely unknown to many Nigerians because there is no representative of the territory in the federal executive council and because the national assembly as the only legislative body for the territory has very limited time to discuss FCT issues and legislate on them. Not many Nigerians know that the federal government of Nigeria has not fulfilled its financial obligations to the original inhabitants whose lands were taken over to build a brand new capital city for all Nigerians.

If the vision of the founding fathers of the FCT will be achieved, the issues of deliberately promoting stunted development in the territory through an avoidable error of commission and omission must be urgently addressed.

AbujaCitiBlog:

From the responses I am getting here, I realize that a lot of Nigerians are dumb. FCT is a federal ministry. That's the designation. It wasn't intended to be a state. It was carved out from 4 states. Indigenes were relocated and paid compensation. Get your facts right. It is just like Washington DC. Let's be guided. It was created as a novel place where every Nigerian will see himself or herself as having equal status. Nothing like indigenes here.

But self serving politicians are pushing ignorant youths to go and confront government.

The lone FCT Senator is desperate, he wants to hand over the baton to somebody but he needs a position for himself. That's why he is behind the push for Mayoral status for FCT

Clearly you are the dumb one.

Natives of FCT were never compensated.
It is so appalling to think that some still believe and hold on to the schemes and lies by the government that FCT natives were compensated?

How?
When?
By who?
How much were they given?
How was the compensation done?

Anyone still living in this delusion that FCT natives were compensated should make available evidence backing their claims.

I'm so tired of people showing their ignorance in the public so cheaply.

omoolokunEsin:
What FCT natives again after they received billions of Naira as Compensation for Government's takeover of their land? In the real sense of the word, Abuja is now a No Man's Land. Contrariwise, in the Colonial days Lagos was made federal Capital without as much as one farthing as Compensation for the landowners. And heaven didn't fall. As a matter of fact, the first Minister of Lagos Affairs was a Northerner. No Southerner has been made Minister of the Capital territory of Abuja since the federal Capital was moved to Abuja in 1991. What a federal republic Nigeria is!

This never happened. It's one of the government numerous lies. Don't be one sided in your argument unless you have strong and irrefutable evidence to show that indeed this marginalized people were compensated. Let's be objective and humane at the same time please.

We all know what that the government overtime and all this time have been so unfair to he natives of FCT.

Check the report of Obasanjo who said compensating the natives of FCT for the total take over of their land was too expensive, rather he suggested integrations (including them in the system of development), which was far less expensive on the part of government.

Please let's do our research properly before commenting on issues we know nothing or little about in such a way simply because we feel it doesn't affect or have anything to do with us.

Thanks.

The benefits of having an elected mayor in FCT instead of an appointed minister who is only answerable to the person that appointed him (the president) accrues to all residents in FCT.

This protest should be supported by all well-meaning Nigerians.

Natives of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja have called on members of the National Assembly to have a rethink and ensure the passage of the Mayoral Status and Ministerial Bill, which was rejected by the Senate last week.

The natives who made this known at a strategic meeting of Abuja Original Inhabitants Communities organised by Abuja Original Inhabitants Youths Empowerment Organisation (AOIYEO) and supported by CHRICED in Abuja yesterday appealed for an end to their marginalisation.

The president of AOIYEO, Commandant Isaac David, told journalists that original inhabitants have been praying for leaders who have passion for original inhabitants and political will to address the pressing issues bothering on their existence as natives of Abuja.

“There is still a chance for the legislators to repent and ensure that the mayoral status bill is passed because they are the people who can address the marginalisation of Abuja original inhabitants, so they should do the right thing,” he said.

The chief advocate of Abuja Grassroots Advocacy Projects (AGAP) Comrade Yunusa Yusuf, explained that part of the problems of FCT natives has always been the fact that they have not been able to get the grassroots to understand their plights because the more their voices are loud, the more attention they will get.

“On the bill that was rejected by the Senate, the National Assembly should expect more citizen action from us. In as much as we have been civil in our plight, that does mean we are stupid. We know that we already have a court judgement mandating the president to give us a ministerial appointment at the federal executive council.

“ It is shameful that the National Assembly could not vote in favour of the mayoral status. It does not take any constitutional amendment to give us a ministerial slot, it only takes the political will of any good leader to do that,” he said.

Online leadership newspaper.

NAPIMS
By Luminous Jannamike, Abuja

Ten civil groups advocating the political, economic, and cultural rights of the original inhabitants of Abuja, have expressed disappointment over the National Assembly’s rejection of a proposal to create the office of a Mayor for the nation’s capital.

They also lamented the lawmakers’ vote against the nomination of a Minister from the FCT to the Federal Executive Council, and the allocation of a specific number of seats in the National Assembly to women during the recent plenary sessions by the Senate and the House of Representatives on the 68 proposed amendments to the 1999 constitution.

The 10 civil society organisations include the Resource Centre for Human Rights & Civic Education, Abuja Original Inhabitants Youth Empowerment Organization, Association of FCT Traditional Rulers Wives, Mairo Women Foundation and Helpline Foundation for the Needy.

Others are Abiodun Essiet Initiative for Girls, Centre for Environmental Sustainability and Development Awareness, Socio-Economic Research and Development Centre, Centre for Transparency Advocacy, and HipCity Innovation Centre.

At a joint briefing in Abuja on Thursday, the Executive Director of CHRICED, Dr Ibrahim Zikirullahi, who spoke on behalf of the CSOs, regretted that the failure of the proposed constitutional amendments which sought to advance the rights of the original inhabitants of the FCT implied that the hardships, political marginalisation, and economic deprivation experienced by them and women across the country would continue.

He added, “The Constitution Review process represented a golden opportunity for fundamental reforms in the nation’s Constitution. Citizens pleaded for changes that would address pressing issues while also putting the country on a path to stability and social justice.

“If issues strongly advocated by people at the grassroots are unable to see the light of day in the constitution review process, what is the point of junketing and wasting scarce resources across the country in the name of constitution review hearings? We believe that the people are being used in this way to legitimize the political class’s preconceived agenda.

“Despite these discouraging results, we urge Original Inhabitants in the FCT not to give up hope. The failure of these proposals to gain traction opens the door to much more comprehensive engagements that would address key issues such as statelessness and the lack of a robust sub-national framework for democratic governance.

“There is also the possibility of taking the story of the Original Inhabitants to the international community, where pressure can be applied to persuade political actors to act.

“In the end, the outcome of the constitutional review vote serves as another reminder of the importance of citizens electing credible, purposeful, and empathetic leaders to fill all spheres of governance.

“As the countdown to the 2023 elections begins, we urge all citizens who want to see a change to participate in the electoral process and contribute to the emergence of humane leaders who will listen to and address the fundamental issues affecting all citizens security and welfare.”

Senate again killed an amendment of the Constitution that will empower an indigene of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as Minister.

While 67 Senators voted yes in favour of the bill, only nine Senators voted against the amendment.

The bill is titled, “A Bill for an Act to Alter the Provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to provide for Appointment of a Minister from the FCT; and for Related Matters.”

An advocacy group under the auspices of Abuja Grassroots Advocacy Projects (AGAP) has berated All Progressive Congress (APC) Senators at National Assembly over failure to support the plights of the vulnerable people of the Federal Capital Territory by voting against a bill for an act to alter the provision of the Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, to provide for Office Of Mayor for the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Abuja and related matters.

The chief advocate of the group, Comrade Yunusa Ahmadu Yusuf, in a press briefing also threatened that, if the Senators at the National Assembly continue to ignore sensitive matters that have a direct bearing on the plight of FCT indigenes, the indigenous people of FCT might be pushed to the wall to boycott the 2023 general elections.

He commended the only Senator representing the FCT at the National Assembly for his courage and height standard of lobbying his colleagues to support the Mayoral bill in favour of FCT natives, that he has so far showcased his love and sacrifices for the FCT people,

He also commended the effort and doggedness of the principal officers House of Representatives, Hon Sokodobo, Hon Jiba, Hon Gbefwi for standing by the FCT people to ensure that the bill scaled through in favour of FCT indigenes at the lower Chambers

He further called on Nigerians to question the rationale behind the negative motives of the Senators attitude over the Mayoral status of the FCT, especially the Senators from the far Northern part of the country, while regretting the support the indigenous people of FCT gave to the APC to win two-third of the votes in 2016 and 2019 to clinch the sit of Presidency which he said may be difficult for the APC as a party in 2023.

Yusuf also reminded Nigerians of the July 4th, 1978 policy reversal made by former Head of State, General Olusegun Obasanjo to stop the evacuation of FCT natives as earlier recommended by Justice Akinola Aguda, that the decision affirmed that FCT has never been a “virgin land” or “no man’s land” as misconceived by some Nigerians.

According to him, the sacrifices of the FCT indigenous people should be seen by elites as an everlasting sacrifice that should be paid back by any policy that will favor and reduce the long-suffering of the Abuja Original inhabitant.

“The Senators should review its decision to vote out the mayoral status of the FCT, saying that the FCT mayoral status would foster National Development and enhance adequate representation in governance.

”Section 297 to 307 to be replaced by the establishment for FCT with an elected mayor and Mayoral Assembly which will now replace the president by designating FCT as the Governor of FCT and National Assembly as the FCT Legislators respectively as against the status of executive and legislative functions vested on the president and the National Assembly.

“If we have original inhabitants of the FCT well captured within the constitution of our country we are on our way to working out a better Nigeria where every Nigerian has a right,” he said.

Not a lot of Nigerians know about the real owners of Abuja, the Gbagyi people, whose land was reclaimed from them to form the seat of power.

Somewhere deep in the obscure lands of Abuja, Nigeria's Federal Capital Territory, are the indigenous people of Gbagyi or Gwari, who were the original settlers in the town before it was even carved out to be the seat of power.

In 1976, the then military government had the bright idea to find a 'no-man's land' in the geographic centre of the country, which no one group could lay claim to, and an area in which Nigerians could unite under.

Except the 8,000 square kilometres of land upon which the capital stood, which includes the Presidential Villa, the National Assembly or parliament, dozens of Federal Government parastatals and institutions, and suburban neighbourhoods and malls, was somebody's land, the Gbagyi.

They were hurriedly forced off their land by the military government to make way for the construction of the new capital, and promised compensation and resettlement. The government also grossly underestimated the number of Gbagyi people living on the territory as they continued with their plan for the area.

Many displaced families were given housing, but some lived in transit and settlements camps for a long while and compensation plans were bungled.

Now, decades later, the ethnic group still feel that the federal government has shortchanged them, and deprived them of their lands and heritage.

However, in this article, the rich culture and heritage of the Gbagyi people will be highlighted.

Brief history
Gbagyi or Gwari (also spelled Gbari) are peaceful, agriculturalist, artistic and Nupoid-speaking people living in North-Central geo-political zone of Nigeria. They predominantly live in the Niger, Kaduna States and the Federal Capital Territory. They are also found in Nasarawa and Kogi States in central Nigerian Area. Gbagyi is the most populated ethnic Group and indigenous in the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria, where their major occupation is farming.

According to oral tradition, the first settler was a hunter who went to hunt in Paikokun land, a thick forest in Abuja. Paikokun was the name of the mountain where the first settler inhabited.

The Gbagyi people initially used to live on mountain tops because they believed they were safer on the mountain than at the plain before western civilization made most of them relocate to the plain.

How to spot Gbagyi
Very unique to the Gbagyi women is the placing of goods however heavy on their shoulder. They believe the head represents the king of the entire body, hence, it should not be disturbed. They call the part of their body they place their goods as Bwapa. They also believe the load feel lighter on their shoulders than on their heads. It is very much still in practice till date.

Marriage
Marriage among the people of Gbagyi is soaked in deep tradition. When a man announces his interest in a woman, he would have to serve 7 years in the bride’s father’s farm, labouring and supplying grains and other produce to the bride’s house in order for her to be well fed. Nowadays, the groom simply pay the bride’s price instead of serving 7 years in the bride’s father’s house.

Religion
In their traditional religion, some Gbayi believe in a God called Shekwoi, the one who was there before their ancestors, but they also devote themselves to appeasing deities of the god such as Maigiro.

Indigenously, their main religion is Knunu, which they believe protects them from the evil that exist in the community. They worship the Knunu by offering fowl and beer as a sacrifice to a special tree found deep in the forest.

With westernisation, Islam became more prominent among the people after the Fulani jihad while Christianity was introduced to the people by the Sudan Interior Mission, also known locally as Evangelical Church of Africa. The Gbagyi people found it easy to embrace Islam more than Christianity because some practices of Islam such as devotion, using of amulets and polygamy were also practised in their indigenous religion.

Food
The Gwari people enjoy eating a meal known as Wyizhe. It is made from Guinean corn which is also used to make a special drink known as Zhepwo. The Gwari people also enjoy drinking a soup known as Knadolo made from locust beans.

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About Gbagyi people, the real owners of Abuja
ADAOBI ONYEAKAGBU
February 2, 2022 10:30 AM

Know all about the culture of the original settlers of the Federal Capital Territory.

Gbagyi people: About the real owners of Abuja
Gbagyi people: About the real owners of Abuja
Not a lot of Nigerians know about the real owners of Abuja, the Gbagyi people, whose land was reclaimed from them to form the seat of power.

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Gist
Somewhere deep in the obscure lands of Abuja, Nigeria's Federal Capital Territory, are the indigenous people of Gbagyi, who were the original settlers in the town before it was even carved out to be the seat of power.

In 1976, the then military government had the bright idea to find a 'no-man's land' in the geographic centre of the country, which no one group could lay claim to, and an area in which Nigerians could unite under.

Except the 8,000 square kilometres of land upon which the capital stood, which includes the Presidential Villa, the National Assembly or parliament, dozens of Federal Government parastatals and institutions, and suburban neighbourhoods and malls, was somebody's land, the Gbagyi.


They were hurriedly forced off their land by the military government to make way for the construction of the new capital, and promised compensation and resettlement. The government also grossly underestimated the number of Gbagyi people living on the territory as they continued with their plan for the area.

Many displaced families were given housing, but some lived in transit and settlements camps for a long while and compensation plans were bungled.

Now, decades later, the ethnic group still feel that the federal government has shortchanged them, and deprived them of their lands and heritage.

However, in this article, the rich culture and heritage of the Gbagyi people will be highlighted.

Brief history
Gbagyi are peaceful, agriculturalist, artistic and Nupoid-speaking people living in North-Central geo-political zone of Nigeria. They predominantly live in the Niger, Kaduna States and the Federal Capital Territory. They are also found in Nasarawa and Kogi States in central Nigerian Area.

Gbagyi is the most populated ethnic Group and indigenous in the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria, where their major occupation is farming.

According to oral tradition, the first settler was a hunter who went to hunt in Paikokun land, a thick forest in Abuja. Paikokun was the name of the mountain where the first settler inhabited.

The Gbagyi people initially used to live on mountain tops because they believed they were safer on the mountain than at the plain before western civilization made most of them relocate to the plain.

How to spot Gbagyi
Very unique to the Gbagyi women is the placing of goods however heavy on their shoulder. They believe the head represents the king of the entire body, hence, it should not be disturbed. They call the part of their body they place their goods as Bwapa. They also believe the load feel lighter on their shoulders than on their heads. It is very much still in practice till date.


Marriage
Marriage among the people of Gbagyi is soaked in deep tradition. When a man announces his interest in a woman, he would have to serve 7 years in the bride’s father’s farm, labouring and supplying grains and other produce to the bride’s house in order for her to be well fed. Nowadays, the groom simply pay the bride’s price instead of serving 7 years in the bride’s father’s house.

Gbagyi people: About the real owners of Abuja
Gbagyi people: About the real owners of Abuja
Religion
In their traditional religion, some Gbayi believe in a God called Shekwoi, the one who was there before their ancestors, but they also devote themselves to appeasing deities of the god such as Maigiro.

Indigenously, their main religion is Knunu, which they believe protects them from the evil that exist in the community. They worship the Knunu by offering fowl and beer as a sacrifice to a special tree found deep in the forest.

With westernisation, Islam became more prominent among the people after the Fulani jihad while Christianity was introduced to the people by the Sudan Interior Mission, also known locally as Evangelical Church of Africa. The Gbagyi people found it easy to embrace Islam more than Christianity because some practices of Islam such as devotion, using of amulets and polygamy were also practised in their indigenous religion.

Food
The Gbagyi people enjoy eating a meal known as Wyizhe. It is made from Guinean corn which is also used to make a special drink known as Zhepwo. The Gbagyi people also enjoy drinking a soup known as Knadolo made from locust beans.


Clothing
The Gbagyi people wear tie and dye clothing known as Ajeside, made from local cotton and traditional woven and dyed.

Occupation
The Gbagyi people are mostly farmers although they are also good in wood fetching, pottery, and blacksmith.

The Gbagyi people were also well known for their visual art most especially pottery. Other arts practised by the Gbagyi people are sculpture, iron smelting, domestic craft and smelting.

Constitution Review: Lawmakers move to replace FCT Minister with a Mayor
A bill seeks to remove the President as the Chief Executive Officer of the FCT and replace him with an elected Mayor, who will administer the FCT as the Chief Executive.

The House of Representatives is considering a constitution alteration bill to change the administrative structure of the Federal Capital Territory.

The bill, sponsored by Dachung Bagos (PDP, Plateau), seeks to remove the President as the Chief Executive Officer of the FCT and replace him with an elected Mayor, who will administer the FCT as the Chief Executive.

Mr Bagos’ bill is proposing the deletion of sections 301 (a and c) and 302 and introducing the new part II into the constitution.

The bill was introduced to the House on November 5, 2019.

Process of altering the constitution
A constitution amendment bill has to be passed by both Houses (Reps and Senate) with a minimum of 2/3rd of the entire members of the House.

The exception to the rule is state creation and boundary adjustment, which requires 4/5th of the members of each house to pass. The copies of the bill passed must be harmonised (The wordings, the structure must be the same.)

The harmonised bills passed by the two chambers will then be sent to the state Houses of Assembly. If 2/3rd of the Assemblies (24 states out of the 36 states) pass it, the copies will be returned to the National Assembly, which will then send it to the president for assent.

The president has two options; sign or decline.

Section 9 (1, 2) reads, “The National Assembly may, subject to the provision of this section, alter any of the provisions of this Constitution.

“An Act of the National Assembly for the alteration of this Constitution, not being an Act to which section 8 of this Constitution applies, shall not be passed in either House of the National Assembly unless the proposal is supported by the votes of not less than two-thirds majority of all the members of that House and approved by resolution of the Houses of Assembly of not less than two-thirds of all the States.”

Section 8 talks about state creation and boundary readjustment. To pass this, the two-chamber must pass the bill by 4/5th of the entire members of each house. Section 9(3,4) reads:

“(3) An Act of the National Assembly for the purpose of altering the provisions of this section, section 8 or Chapter IV of this Constitution shall not be passed by either House of the National Assembly unless the proposal is approved by the votes of not less than four-fifths majority of all the members of each House, and also approved by resolution of the House of Assembly of not less than two-thirds of all States.

“(4) For the purposes of section 8 of this Constitution and of subsections (2) and (3) of this section, the number of members of each House of the National Assembly shall, notwithstanding any vacancy, be deemed to be the number of members specified in sections 48 and 49 of this Constitution.

How is the FCT currently governed?
The legislative powers over the territory are vested in the National Assembly, which means the power to make law for the FCT, is vested in the National Assembly. That is why the budget of the FCT is laid before the two chambers of the National Assembly.

The Executive power over the area is vested in the president, who may exercise the powers through the Minister of the FCT as provided by section 302. Hence, President Muhammadu Buhari is the governor and Yemi Osinbajo is the deputy governor.

Section 299 of the Constitution provides that ‘The provisions of this Constitution shall apply to the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja as if it were one of the States of the Federation; and accordingly –

“(a) all the legislative powers, the executive powers and the judicial powers vested in the House of Assembly, the Governor of a State and in the courts of a State shall, respectively, vest in the National Assembly, the President of the Federation and in the courts which by virtue of the foregoing provisions are courts established for the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja;

“(b) all the powers referred to in paragraph (a) of this section shall be exercised in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution; and

“(c) the provisions of this Constitution pertaining to the matters aforesaid shall be read with such modifications and adaptations as may be reasonably necessary to bring them into conformity with the provisions of this section.”

Section 302 reads, “The president may, in exercise of the powers conferred on him by section 147 of this constitution, appoint for the federal capital territory, Abuja, a minister, who shall exercise such powers and perform such functions as may be delegated to him from time to time.”

Previous attempts at creating the office of a Mayor…
The 1989 constitution makes provision for the creation of an office of Mayor for the FCT, in addition to the powers of the president to superintend over the territory.

Article 315 of that constitution provides that “a mayoralty comprising four area councils shall be created for the federal capital territory, Abuja, and the administration and structure thereof shall be as provided by an act of the National Assembly..”

Interestingly, article 313 had provided that “all legislative powers, executive powers and judicial powers shall respectively vest in the National Assembly, the President of the Federation and in the courts established for the capital territory. Abuja.”

An election was conducted into the office but was annulled by Ibrahim Babangida’s regime.

In the last Assembly, there was an attempt also to amend sections 299, 301 and 302 to create the office.

However, it was not successful.

Adegoroye Adegoke, a former Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of FCT, said the existing appointment of a proxy governor by the president, as provided in section 302, is an anomaly inherited from the military rule.

He added that having an elected Mayor will be of significant value to all the residents of the FCT.

According to Mr Adegoroye, there is a contradiction in the constitution on the status of the territory and the powers of the president to appoint a minister to administer the territory. He stated that when the administrator is appointed, his loyalty is to the person who appointed him and not the people.

“When you look at section 299, it says that the provision will apply as if FCT is one of the states of the federation. And after saying that, section 301 went further to make provision for the president to serve as the administrator and in 302, empowers him/her to administer by proxy in the name of a minister.

“That 302 contradicts the intention of 299. You cannot say you want a place to run like a state, and at the same time appoint a proxy. If you want it to run like a state, it must enjoy all the freedom, which includes the powers to choose their own CEO. This is what the new bill is proposing, and it is the right thing to do.

“What has been happening ever since is a carryover of the military era, where they were appointing military administrators for states and it did not look awkward to appoint an administrator for the FCT. We all got blinded to it. People should have been crying for this mayor.

The thing is, when a state gets its head or CEO by election, you will find out that expectation and commitment will be to that state. But in this case, when we have been appointing ministers, those ministers focus more on their own state for their political ambition.

“There is no doubt that the commitment of a mayor will be more than that of a proxy governor in the person of a minister. The experience in the last 20 years shows that the only exception was Mallam Nasir Elrufai, whose performance dwarfed all before him and after.

“The current minister is very prudent, but the other ones have been advancing the interest of the godfather that put them there and their own personal ambition, which is to become the governor of their own states.

“So, when you look at it from that angle, you will know that a mayor—the current president of Mexico was a mayor of Mexico City. That is what adored him to everybody and they elected him overwhelmingly.

“Those kinds of people will be more committed to advancing that territory because they know that their ambition is bound to it, their performance will be judged by it, not from the state where you are coming from.”

Clamour to change FCT to a state
Danladi Jeji, an indigene of the FCT, who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES, said the people of the state would rather have a Governor than the proposed Mayor. According to him, the Mayor can be for the Abuja Municipal Area Council, but not for the entire territory.

“The issue of the mayor, it was Babangida that started it. That election was subsequently cancelled. Mayor is a glorified local government chairman for the capital city, not a territory that has an eight thousand square kilometres landmass with more than three million original inhabitants. Section.299 stated that FCT shall be treated as if it was a state.

“All that the original inhabitants are saying is that there are 37 states in Nigeria and FCT has all the paraphernalia of a state. If someone in the National Assembly wants Mayor, it can be in the capital city, maybe AMAC, not the entire territory. What is Mayor?” Mr Jeji said.

On the request for statehood, Mr Adegoroye said getting a mayor is more feasible than getting statehood because any attempt to change the status of the territory to state will arouse suspicion from the southern states as that will mean there will be 20 northern states, compared to the 17 in the south.

“Till today, Washington DC, despite the advocacy by some for it to become a state, is still not a state, after almost 280 years. Brasilia is different in the sense that they have kept the population down. Abuja was designed to be like Brasilia, not to have this type of population explosion. It was not supposed to have industries as we are having now. We allowed it to be a centre that accommodates everybody.

“There is going to be a lot of problems turning it into a state. Southern states may see it as a ploy by the north to increase the number of states in their region. FCT was supposed to create a centre of unity where everyone will find home. It will defeat the purpose for which it was created if you want to turn it into a state. In Nigeria, everyone wants a state because of the benefits of federal allocation, appointment.

“The idea of turning it into a state may look like the easy way to go. While some of us may not mind– in this new North/South dichotomy, some will argue it is a way to turn the north to 20 states, because already there is a difficulty in the National Assembly whereby you don’t have equity in distribution of representation, where people may come together and vote in a particular way,” Mr Adegoroye said.

What is obtained in similar capitals?
Washington and Brasilia are the two capitals that are similar to Abuja. The three cities were designed from the ground to serve as capitals.

Brasilia was constructed in 1960 to serve as the capital of Brazil.

Just like Abuja, the rationale was to have a centrally
located capital built specifically to serve as the seat of government. The City has no Mayor. Rather, it is administered by the governor of the Federal District. According to Brazil’s constitution of 1988, the federal district is neither a state nor a municipality.

In the case of Washington DC, the Mayor system started after the 1973 Home Rule Act, which allowed for an elected Mayor. But the Congress still retains absolute power over the district and can override the decision of the Council of the District of Columbia.

Since 1800, there have been calls for the District to be given the status of a state. The agitation is gaining some momentum in recent years, as a statehood bill was passed in the US House of Representatives this year.

However, the bill still has a long way to go for it to change the status quo.

Stakeholders in education sector on Tuesday at a Senate public hearing threw their overwhelming support behind the move to establish Federal Capital Territory University of Science and Technology, Abaji.

The stakeholders were contributing to a Bill for an Act to Provide for the Establishment of the Federal Capital Territory [FCT] University of Science and Technology, Abaji sponsored by Senator Philip Aduda representing the FCT.

The public hearing was organised by the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund to consider three bills for establishment of higher institutions in the country.

The other two are: “A Bill for an Act to Provide for the Establishment of the Federal College of Education, Ekiadolor, Edo state” sponsored by Senator Mathew A. Urhoghide [Edo South] “A Bill for an Act to Provide for the Establishment of the Federal University of Environmental Technology, Saakpwerwa Tai Ogoni, Rivers state” sponsored by Senator Barry Mpigi [Rivers South].

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund, Senator Ahmad Babba Kaita said the establishment of the above tertiary institutions, one in Abaji, FCT and two in South-south geo-political zones of the Country will remedy the acute shortage of well-trained manpower needs of most schools, improve utilitarian innovation in Science and Technology for enabling, conducive and favourable environment in Nigeria.

Speaking on the Federal Capital Territory [FCT] University of Science and Technology, Abaji, the sponsor of the bill , Philip Aduda said the bill was passed by the 8th Senate, but was denied presidential assent.

He said every infrastructure need for a world class university are already in place at the institution in Abaji and the only remaining thing is “admission of students”.

Aduda used the opportunity to invite the Senate Committee to visit the university site to see things for itself.

The Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission, NUC, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed, said the “NUC is in full support of the establishment of the university”.

The ES was represented by Paschal Eruaga, Head of Legal Department of the NUC.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of FCT, Mr. Adesola Olusade, who represented the Minister said it is a landmark achievement for the FCT to have their own university.

“We strongly support this as it will ameliorate the admission problems faced by FCT indigenes”, Olusade said.

Similarly, Sani Dahiry, Secretary (Education), FCT said the establishment of the university was long overdue, as only University of Abuja is the Federal University in the FCT.

According to him about 55,000 graduate from FCT secondary schools annually, adding that “many can’t gain admission to higher institutions”.

When Abuja was selected out of a long list of other local cities to be Nigeria’s new capital territory, it was a selection based on numerous merits such as its prime and central location, extensive land mass, favourable climate and the fact that a good portion of it was uninhabited and unspoken for.

The Murtala Mohammed led military government which did this selection, and subsequent governments after his, took upon them the task of ensuring that the new capital city which critics called a utopian dream, became tangible, so that the relocation of the country’s government seat from a congested Lagos State could be possible.

The first point of action was creating the city’s Master Plan.

Now, having learnt a few salient lessons from the shortcomings of Lagos as the capital city, the government didn’t want a repeat of these failures, so they made a grand Master Plan which covered every inch and breadth of the city, leaving nothing to chance, then split development of the city into phases and began implementation.

So thoroughly planned was the city of Abuja that government thought to introduce the city’s population in incremental ‘doses’ so as to prevent overcrowding which would have the negative effect of straining the city’s infrastructure and the social amenities available per time.

Gratefully, and much to the dismay of critics, sixteen years after Abuja was first announced as the new capital territory, the seat of power, government ministries and parastatals were moved into the burgeoning city.

Today, more than thirty years after that great exodus, the city has seen exponential growth, to the extent that it is considered one of the fastest growing cities in the world.

Whoop! Dream come true, right? Certainly. But, while most Nigerians are proud of and happy about the rapid development and popularity garnered by their capital city, there remain a few who it would appear are the sacrificial lambs in this scenario.

So, while others enjoy the glitz of the city, revelling in its economic growth and taking pride in the sense of belonging that the personality and brand connotation of Abuja as a ‘city for all’ evokes, they themselves are caught in a limbo.

For even though their ancestors were born and buried in the land, today they can neither lay claim to it as theirs as that would be violating one of the core values of the new capital territory as delineated by its founders; nor can they lay claim to another land without inciting a fight with its current dwellers.

The original inhabitants of Abuja whose land is currently used as the ‘Centre of Unity’ for Nigerians from the 36 states of the country cannot fully appreciate the sentiment as they themselves have no state from which to come and unite with others at this centre.

Now, you may ask, what was the plan for this indigenous peoples in the very lustrous Abuja Master Plan, surely government must have factored them in in some way?


Well, according to authorities, as at the time when Abuja was chosen to be the capital territory, most of the land was uninhabited and along the line, the few inhabitants were asked to choose between moving to neighbouring states or being relocated to government earmarked areas of the territory so as to free up their land for the large-scale development planned.

The result of this relocation is what we see today: the original inhabitants of Abuja and their chiefdoms now mostly occupy the outskirts of Abuja where sadly, the fast-paced developmental drive experienced in the city’s center is not being replicated, or at least, not with the same momentum.

So maybe, they would have said “well, at least we’re living well in this all-man’s city which was once ours but isn’t anymore, so let’s be grateful for that and carry on with our lives…” but they cannot say so as most of the areas they occupy, including those allocated to them by government are in deplorable conditions and still being contested to be taken away by those who have connections within the corridors of power.

From bad access roads, to poor electricity supply, unavailability of potable water, sub-standard health facilities, the list goes on and on. In short, there is a contradiction between what is obtained in the business districts and upscale residential parts of Abuja with what one would see in these chiefdoms.

In fact, so stark and glaring is this contradiction that many a person visiting Abuja for the first time have thought that Abuja began from Airport Road.

It should therefore come as no surprise that the original inhabitants of Abuja are dissatisfied and asking to be granted a state of their own.

This request in this writer’s opinion, only seems fair because if you’re going to take something from one person and say it belongs to everyone, especially if others are still keeping theirs, then the original owner should be adequately compensated, rather than relegated.

Now more than ever, the original inhabitants of Abuja deserve to be heard and considered as day by day, we see the city of Abuja becoming more and more classist and elitist. It is gradually becoming a city where the poor are seen as a taint to its flamboyance and glitz. A place where to get any respect or even access to good service delivery, one has to be able to afford to live and actually live in one upscale part of the city or the other.

What future then have these poor and marginalized people if they cannot access basic social services today? How will they match up with the demands of living in this world class city?

Well, I agree that a state might just be the answer. Why? First of all, it will be a state to call their own. If nothing else, they too deserve to have that sense of belonging to a space and land they can call theirs, not one that the government and law has said belongs to everyone.

A state of their own would also give them the opportunity to control their resources and use them for the betterment of the land they call home and the people in it. With it would also come a chance to select their own leaders as opposed to the prevalent trend of the President choosing a Minister for the FCT (who may not be one of their own) that has been the case since 1975. Honestly, the benefits are too numerous to mention and one can only hope that someday, they will become a reality.

– Dorcas Jude
HipCity Innovation Centre-Abuja, an organization working to promote the rights of the Original Inhabitants of Abuja and demand for the provision of inclusive basic services for marginalized communities in Abuja.
www.hipcityinnovationcentre.org

Following the list of governors and senators released by the All Progressives Congress (APC) as members of the National Campaign Council for the FCT area council elections, natives of Abuja have appealed to campaigners not to interfere in the election process.
At a press briefing yesterday, the natives expressed concern over the list and queried why the party would release governors and senators to monitor FCT area councils’ elections if the party had no ulterior motives.

One of the leaders of the natives, Danjuma Tanko, advised members of the APC committee to pay attention to their state affairs, and not work against the interest of FCT natives and residents.

Tanko said with the present circumstances surrounding the candidate of the APC, whereby the Supreme Court is yet to give judgement on who the real candidate of the party is, the party does not have a candidate for the February 12 election.

“So, APC has no definite candidate in AMAC. We will not let go of our lands as a painful sacrifice for the unity of Nigeria, and also let go of the only point of governance in the hands of intruders. We are ready to go with those who care for us, and we will not only face but also deal decisively with any manipulator.

“With this present circumstance, we are appealing to President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister of FCT to call on all the political gladiators on the lists released by the APC to monitor the FCT election, not to interfere in the process in any way.

“Also, we are calling on the police and all security agencies not to allow any of the agents of the chairmanship candidates of the APC in AMAC to sign any election form since two candidates cannot be in the party during the election in Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC).

“This is an election that the people have been waiting for because we need positive change in the politics of the FCT. The people have gone through tough times with the outgoing administration and we need leaders that the people want and can work in the interest of the people. Not a leader that would be imposed on the people against the people through interference.

“We want to also use this opportunity to advise the APC to be fair, truthful, and realistic in the management of the electoral rules being the ruling party because as it is presently, AMAC APC has no definite candidate. While the party needs Murtala Karshi, popular votes and the court favours Hassan Gwagwa,” he said.

Honorable Jonathan Asake is the National President of the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU). Asake states why the umbrella body of the Southern Kaduna area is not interested in the peace process orchestrated by some stakeholders and gives his own panacea on what is necessary to bring peace to the area. In this interview with BABA NEGEDU in Kaduna, he says there can only be a peace move when there are clashes between communities, saying what is happening is an unprovoked attack on innocent communities

Before now, there was a cessation of attacks in the Southern Kaduna area, but of recent there was a resurgence of clashes. What is responsible for this?

Let me first correct the impression that what is happening is not clashes at all, what is going on is not clashes, but unprovoked attack by Fulani terrorists on peaceful and defenseless communities of Southern Kaduna and the recent one started on Sunday and they continued on Monday in a community called Kurmin Masara. The first day they went there by 3 am and attacked the community and killed 11 people that night. The next day six dead bodies were picked in the bush and the following day that was on Tuesday, they attacked again and killed five people and six people are still uncounted for, that what actually happened. In Kaura Local Government area specifically in Kagoro, they also went to a community there and attacked the people and burnt houses, but the youths of the community resisted them. After that they went and blocked the road and stopped students of the College of Education, Gidan Waya, because that is their route and gun down two students and several others were wounded, but one died instantly and the other who is critically injured and is receiving treatment in Jos. An old man who was coming back from his farm was also gunned down and they seriously injured some women that were found in the farm, this is what happened in the southern part of Kaduna in the last three days and there about.

During the Christmas season there was no killing. So we were celebrating that the killings has stopped, but all of a sudden there is an upsurge in the attacks again. We don’t know what exactly is happening. The killings had stopped, only the kidnapping that was going on in our communities.

These attacks have been going on for some time now, we also know of peace efforts by some stakeholders, why is this peace move not stopping these attacks?

The peace efforts has yielded nothing, so far those peace arrangements or peace meetings that they are having are just a kind of cosmetic, it is to divert attention from the real thing that is happening. The government has come up with false narrative that it was a herder and farmers clash when these atrocities were going on. They also used words like reprisal attacks, but these are just diversionary from the real issues, the genocide that is going on in our communities. Who are the perpetrators of this genocide, again they gave them a very diversionary name or distraction name, and they called them bandits. But we knew that they were Fulani herdsmen, killer Fulani herdsmen. There have been these agitations for long to designate them as terrorists because everything they were doing was terrorism. They had shut down a fighter plane, a Nigerian Air Force fighter plane; they had gone into the Nigerian Defense Academy premises and killed military officers, kidnapped a major. They had done so many things and yet the government was unwilling to designate them as terrorists, until there was tremendous pressure and until at the end a courageous judge declared them as terrorists. Even after the judge declared them as terrorists, the government was still unwilling to gazette it, until again there was pressure for a long time before the Attorney General of the federation agreed to gazette them as terrorists. You could see that in 2017, immediately the government declared IPOB as a terrorist organization even when they had not shut down any military aircraft, even when they had not gone into any military institution to perpetrate atrocities, even when they had not gone into communities to attack innocent people, but they were immediately branded as terrorists. So there is no real political will by the government of the day to really fight this menace of killer Fulani herdsmen and probably because the president is Fulani, and most of the key officers in this government are Fulani and that is why there is foot dragging to deal with them and they continue to maim and destroy crops in communities and rape women and kidnap people for huge ransom, that is the situation today.

Based on what is happening, has SOKAPU put together a peace initiative to bring about an end to the killings?

This is what I keep saying. If it was an affray situation, SOKAPU is an umbrella organization of about 67 ethnic nationalities. In Southern Kaduna we have different tribal groups, we have Hausa, Atyap, Bajju, Igbo, Yoruba, and Fulani among many others, and all these tribes are not fighting one another. What we have is that people come in the night at the wee hours and enter communities, unprovoked, without any previous fight or disagreement with the communities and they begin to kill and destroy, maim and burn down food crops and cart away food crops, the highest level of crime against humanity and we want to call it a clash? If it was a clash then you will see one community against another, but this is not the case. If it were, we will have called the leaders of this community and mediate between them, find out what is wrong and tell them to cease fire. It is a deliberate thing to call it a clash to divert attention of the world from the real genocide that is happening in Southern Kaduna that is what I’m trying to say. There can only be a peace move when it is a clash, but this one is not a clash. If you want to initiate peace, with who, the people that come to kill us at night? Yes, we have identified them as mercenary, foreign Fulanis that come in the night, connive with the local Fulanis to kill people so they need to be brought to book, it is not about peace, when you seek for peace, those that come as leaders of the Fulanis to seek for peace, do they know the people that come to kill us in the night? If they know the people it then means the problem is solved, they should be brought to justice, because they have committed serious crime against humanity. This is mass murder, when people go under this deception of peace meeting by people that are claiming they don’t know the killers, but they come and represent the people. On several occasions, the Atyap community, that is the paramount ruler of Atyap people had had those meetings in his palace with a group of Fulani representatives that claimed to represent those that come to kill. Because they have been identified as Fulani people, but immediately after those peace meetings, there will always be attacks. I can give examples of several attacks that have taken place after the peace meetings. Just last year after that type of peace meeting conveyed by the paramount ruler of the Atyap people, after the meeting over 50 people were killed on the Atyap side. So SOKAPU cannot go and preside over a peace meeting that we do not know the aggressors, if we know the aggressors, then we can ask them what they want, but we don’t know them, but people come to represent them. So we know it is a cosmetic arrangement; it does not solve the problem. I know it is the government of the state that always say people must go into a peace meeting because, they have been using the narrative of a clash between communities which is not true. Instead of fishing out the perpetrators of this crime against humanity and bring them to justice, they will not do that, they will want to do cosmetic peace meetings which has never solved the problem.

From what you have said, what is the way forward; how can we stop these killings?

The way forward like I said is that the government of the day, at the state and federal levels must develop the political will to deal with this situation. The military are willing to fish out the perpetrators of these atrocities, but there is always a restraining force. Reports have always had it by community members where you see security agencies dotted all over the community, when these attacks are going on in the wee hours of the night and people are crying, houses are being burnt, people are running with their children and are being hark down and you will find out that the security is unwilling to move in there to help. So there is always some kind of restraining forces, the security agencies should be empowered, encouraged and motivated to do, their work. The community people themselves should also be empowered to form a joint partnership with the security people to keep a kind of joint civilian task force, so that they can keep vigilance over the community. If the communities are empowered they will be able to resist these killers. If the terrorists know that they can be resisted they will not go there, that is what was done in Burkina Faso, when the government could not provide security for every communities and the Jihadists were ravaging every community, the government decided to empower the communities to be able to withstand and resist the terrorists. This can also be done here. Also several communities have been displaced, they cannot go to their farms, their children have been out of school, they don’t have medical attention, these communities are dying in hunger, and the government should give attention to such communities. The government should take food and medication; give them accommodation where they could be accommodated. Government must have a plan to restore these communities back to their home land where they were chased from in the first place. In some areas, the terrorists that have chased the members of the communities have taken over the areas. The government should as a matter of necessity, bring justice by apprehending those that are responsible for the attacks that is what the government can do. Because the basic reason for the existence of government anywhere in the world is for security and wellbeing of the people. Once people are secured and you provide them with welfare, they can go about their activities, go to their farms, and let them know that they are safe, but today many farmers cannot go to their farm. This shows that there is going to be food insecurity in the country. Most framers in the Middle Belt, in Benue, in Plateau, in Southern Kaduna in Nasarawa in Niger, in Taraba, you know central Nigeria is actually the food basket of Nigeria and if these farmers cannot access their farms, they are being killed, asked to pay taxes before accessing their farms, then you can imagine what will happen in the next few years about the food shortages that we are going to experience.

ibkonekt:
Feminism happened

You are so right.

Feminism has contributed in no small measure to broken marriages.

Pastor David Ibiyeomie, the founder and senior pastor of Salvation Ministries has clearly stated his opinion about the upcoming 2023 Presidential Election in Nigeria.

According to him, all these voters’ cards you’re carrying, the 2023 election has finished. The election that will be conducted in 2023 is just to fulfill all righteousness, the real election has finished. It is only prayer that can turn the whole thing around. He said that Nigeria is a funny country because when he sees the kinds of people showing interest in some political offices, he feels that they want to finally sell Nigeria. "If there is anything remaining, they want to count Nigeria and say we sell it for a wholesale price," he said.

Speaking further, he said we will have to pray them out as a country and God will bring somebody who will make Nigeria a better country. He says that when he sees the kinds of people showing interest in offices, there is not one credible person for now, maybe later when we see more faces but the ones who have shown their faces now. "No one among them is credible, these ones will mortgage Nigeria. It will be a case of from frying pan into fire. We are currently inside frying pan and you're craving to enter inside the fire, God forbid," he said.

The House of Representatives has passed for second reading, the Federal Capital Territory Compensation, Resettlement and Welfare Board (Establishment, Etc) Bill 2021, which seeks to cater to the plights of Abuja indigenes forced to vacate their original habitations in the city.

The legislation is titled ‘A Bill for an Act to Establish the FCT Compensation, Resettlement and Board with the Primary Aim of Raising Funds to Resettle All Original Inhabitants Occupying Developed Areas within the FCT and for Further Resettlement Projects; and For Related Matters (HB.1766).’

Sponsor of the bill, Gaza Gbefwi, who is representing Karu/Keffi/Kokona Federal Constituency in Nasarawa State, said over the decades, development-induced displacement and resettlement have taken place in FCT, Abuja.

The lawmaker, while leading the debate on the bill, stated that to address the displacement and resettlement problems, different resettlement policy strategies have been utilised. “Yet, the resettlement policy strategies experimented with seemed not to have yielded any positive results,” he said.

Gbefwi further said, “Among the challenges found inhibiting the effective implementation of the resettlement policy strategies in FCT include corruption, lack of funding, inadequate involvement of the indigenous people or community members in the implementation of resettlement policies among others.

“Generally, resettlement, whether in the form of voluntary or involuntary, always has its repercussions for the displaced persons and the organisation of government initiating the idea of resettlement. The group of people being compelled to pave the way for development will unavoidably encounter a decrease in their standard of living.”

The lawmaker stated that an FCT Compensation, Resettlement and Welfare Board chaired by an indigenous extraction, with representatives from the six Area Councils and representatives of the indigenous traditional council, who are knowledgeable and familiar with the challenges of compensation and resettlement in the FCT, could proffer a lasting and permanent solution to the issues.

He added that the board is to source funds for continuous implementation and payment from both local and international bodies, grants for the compensation and resettlement, among other responsibilities.

Gbefwi stressed, “The board is to assist the Department of Compensation and Resettlement to ensure that funds released for such projects are properly utilised, and execute such other works and perform such other functions which, in the opinion of the Board, are required for the sustainable all round development of the rural areas and its people.”

The Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, AYCF, has reacted to the Federal Government’s declaration of bandits as terrorists.

Yerima Shettima, AYCF National President, said nobody should be allowed to hold the country to ransom.

Speaking with DAILY POST, Shettima said the decision of the Federal Government was better late than never.

He stressed that Buhari should be commended for the decision to declare bandits as terrorists.

According to Shettima: “It’s better late than never, it’s long overdue. All the tendencies and characters of terrorism has been displayed by these characters in the name of banditry.

“It’s indeed a good thing and I applaud the Federal Government for that courage. Some of us were not happy when the court made the pronouncement and the president could not attend to it immediately, but it’s better late than never; this can not continue.

“Nobody can be allowed to continue to hold the country to ransom; as such, I commend the Federal Government and Buhari for this feat."

“I hope those saddled with the responsibility will do the needful, so that for once, we can have some rest.”

Asked if the proscription is a sign that Nigerians should expect an improvement in the country’s security, Shettima said: “I believe from what I’m seeing that we are likely to see something better than what we have seen in the past.”


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NEWSNobody can hold Nigeria ransom – Arewa youths on Buhari declaring bandits terroristsPublished on January 6, 2022By Seun Opejobi




The Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, AYCF, has reacted to the Federal Government’s declaration of bandits as terrorists.


Yerima Shettima, AYCF National President, said nobody should be allowed to hold the country to ransom.

Speaking with DAILY POST, Shettima said the decision of the Federal Government was better late than never.

He stressed that Buhari should be commended for the decision to declare bandits as terrorists.

According to Shettima: “It’s better late than never, it’s long overdue. All the tendencies and characters of terrorism has been displayed by these characters in the name of banditry.

“It’s indeed a good thing and I applaud the Federal Government for that courage. Some of us were not happy when the court made the pronouncement and the president could not attend to it immediately, but it’s better late than never; this can not continue.

“Nobody can be allowed to continue to hold the country to ransom; as such, I commend the Federal Government and Buhari for this feat.


“I hope those saddled with the responsibility will do the needful, so that for once, we can have some rest.”

Asked if the proscription is a sign that Nigerians should expect an improvement in the country’s security, Shettima said: “I believe from what I’m seeing that we are likely to see something better than what we have seen in the past.”

DAILY POST had reported that the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), had gazetted a court judgement which proscribed bandits.

The gazetted pronouncement proscribed their existence and restraining any person or group of persons from participating in activities of bandit groups.

This follows weeks of footdragging, after Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja, granted an ex parte application for Yan Bindiga (Hausa word for gunmen) and Yan Ta’adda (Hausa word for terrorists) to be declared as terrorists.

Dailypost.ng

Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna state, says security operatives should “carpet bomb the forests” to wipe out bandits.

The governor spoke in a chat with Arise TV on Monday.

El-Rufai attributed the prolonged inability of security operatives to curb banditry in the northwest region to a “lack of enough boots on the ground”.

He added that more investment in security personnel, technology and military equipment will see bandits wiped out “once and for all”.

“These bandits operate in the periphery because their hiding place is in the forest. It’s a major problem. The security agencies are doing their best but they are overstretched,” he said.

“The reality is we don’t have enough boots on the ground to address the myriad of security challenges that we face, and these security challenges are asymmetric, widespread, and there’s no part of Nigeria that doesn’t have one security problem or the other.

“Ramp up the number of boots and more technology and more investment in armament and wipe these guys once and for all.

“I’ve always believed that, you know, we should carpet-bomb the forests; we can replant the trees after. Let’s carpet-bomb the forests and bomb all of them. There will be collateral damage, but it’s better to wipe them out and get people back to our communities so that agriculture and rural economics can pick up.”


Source: thecable.ngJan 3, 2022 7:30 PM

Backward fools.

Inmature.

You are correct jare!

garfield1:


Most of the chairmen in abuja are not from abuja

It is a shame that we even have people and organization that are defending the indefensible.

It is obvious that the universal law (Karma) is catching up with Isa Pantami.

Whether he is a repentant religious bigot or not, the fact that he once supported the inhumane atrocities committed by Islamic Jihadist against other humans is a plain and germane reason for him to not only resign but to be sacked and prosecuted.

This is what a sane country that is not ruled by a religious fanatic will do - sack and prosecute.

To make matters more embarrassing, we have even people who claim to be educated and stand for peace defending the indefensible. They are those who can't reason beyond their erroneous religious and ethnic beliefs.

#Isapantamimustgo. If you think otherwise, then you are part of the problem.

It was a smart and odd move.
Thumbs up to her.
Here effort paid off.

Imagine!
Someone from Sokoto coming to rule over the local people of AMAC.
Abuja people no go gree.
Let him go back to his LG in Sokoto and contest.
. Yeye people everywhere.

Cool and mature reply.
Love that!

DedeNkem:
We have the world's most incompetent and corrupt military. This was an inside job.

Clearly!

hotwax:
ambushed or was given to them as gift

dont trust fulani controlled military

Exactly my thought.