Indigenous people of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, under the aegis of the Coalition of the FCT Nine Indigenous Peoples (COFIP), have called for the establishment of the FCT Indigenous Peoples Development Commission (FCT-IPDC). The proposed commission, they said, would address the displacement of natives, preserve their culture, and promote economic empowerment, healthcare and education.

They also demanded constitutional amendments to allow for an indigenous FCT minister or an elected official, through the review of Sections 147 and 299 of the 1999 Constitution.

The demands were presented by the group?s leader, Engineer Shittu S. Chidawa, during the North Central Zone B public hearing of the House of Representatives Committee on the Review and Amendment of the 1999 Constitution, held Saturday in Lafia, Nasarawa State.

Chidawa urged the committee to expand constitutional provisions to guarantee fair compensation, resettlement and community rehabilitation for displaced indigenous communities in the FCT.

He further proposed that FCT natives should be granted equal access to employment quotas, university admissions, scholarships, and political representation ? similar to other Nigerians with a state of origin ? in order to end the systemic exclusion of Abuja indigenes from national affairs and ensure equal citizenship.

The group also called for the decentralization of the area councils through amendments to Sections 7 and 303 of the Constitution. They argued that granting full democratic and financial autonomy to area councils, which is equivalent to local governments in the states, would strengthen grassroots governance.

Chidawa said: ?We propose constitutional protection for local elections in the FCT, the reinstatement of former local government areas, and the expansion of the current area council structure to promote grassroots democracy, accountability and participatory governance.?

Among other recommendations presented at the public hearing, the group called for: the recognition of the FCT as a full-fledged state; the creation of the office of an elected governor for the FCT; the establishment of a State House of Assembly for the FCT to enable local law-making and the enhanced political representation for FCT residents.

They also urged the committee to insert a new constitutional provision that recognizes the indigenous status of the original inhabitants and guarantees their land ownership rights and protection.

The group called for a review of the Land Use Act?s application to the FCT to allow for customary land tenure protections. According to them, the Act as embedded in the 1999 Constitution gives control of land in the territory to the federal government, thereby undermining indigenous land rights and traditional authority systems.

?This is a clear violation of Articles 10, 26, and 32 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which guarantees indigenous people the right to their traditional lands and to be consulted before any relocation or development projects,? Chidawa said.

He further proposed the establishment of a federal commission for FCT indigenous people with the mandate to protect indigenous cultures and rights, oversee land restitution and compensation, and monitor compliance with international conventions such as ILO Convention 169 and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).

Chidawa expressed concern that FCT natives are gradually losing their languages, farmlands, traditions and customary governance systems due to rapid urban expansion and a lack of cultural preservation initiatives.

?Unfortunately, no provision currently exists within the Constitution to safeguard or promote the cultural heritage of the FCT?s indigenous people,? he added.

He also recommended constitutional guarantees that would allow area councils to manage local affairs without excessive ministerial interference.

According to Chidawa, all the recommendations are grounded in Section 42 of the 1999 Constitution, which prohibits discrimination, and are further supported by international treaties and declarations, including the African Charter on Human and Peoples? Rights and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. (Daily Trust)

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