Adewale Adeoye

There is an old saying in Yoruba cosmology: Ti a ko ba tete pa eka iroko, ebo ni maa gba l’ojo iwaju meaning if an Iroko tree is not nipped at its earliest bud, in the future, the tree would assume the role of a god difficult to assuage.

At the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT), bottled up grievances among the 2 million-strong indigenous people may find outlets in unpleasant manners. It is time for the Federal Government to look into the plight of Abuja indigenous peoples. These first inhabitants of the current FCT have an intriguing history. They had lived in the FCT for over 1000 years with preserved culture, heritage, civilisation and values, honoured their ancestral land and resources which they argue have been plundered by successive governments to their own peril.

‘Each time I look at the beauty of Abuja, the industry, the flashy cars, the convoys, the majestic buildings compared with the squalor in the settlements we now live after our displacements in 1976, I cry. My children who are now adults can’t understand what happened,’ Micheal Abukar an indigene of Abuja and official of a local association told me penultimate week after a visit to his community. He said every day, the original inhabitants are worried and agitated. There are some nine indigenous ethnic groups who originally own Abuja, the country’s capital: Gbwari, Nupe, Ganagana, Ebira, Koro and others.

The paradigm shift in their history began with Decree 4 of February 4, 1976, the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT) was created by the Military Government of late General Murtala Mohammed. Before then, the territory itself had been in existence for centuries with her own first inhabitants. The city officially replaced Lagos on December 12, 1999 as the new capital of the country.

Construction work in the city started in 1979 following the recommendation of Abuja as the Federal Capital by the Justice Akinola Aguda panel. The Government of Alhaji Shehu Shagari first planned the relocation to Abuja from 1986 but the plan was aborted due to military intervention. The International Planning Associates (IPA) was commissioned in June 1977 by the Federal Capital Development Authority to work on the Abuja Master Plan to ensure International standards.

Today, Abuja remains the most beautify city in Nigeria with sprawling residential buildings, Federal and private companies. Abuja is the seat of foreign missions, local and international relations in Nigeria. The city hosts national and international institutions in its 50 districts.  

The city’s history is depicted with the 400 meter Aso Rock, the seat of power in a country of 200million people. The population of Abuja grew by 139.7 percent between 2000 and 2010 making her the fastest growing city in the world. Abuja has become the nectar that draws millions of people from across Nigeria. They hope to be close to power and also, explore the bourgeoning economy  and for some relative peace.

But for Gwandara, Basa, Gbayi, Ganagana and others like Nupe, Ebira, Dibo and Koro, the greatness of Abuja brings them misery. Their ancestral homes were taken over by the Federal Government with little or no compensation. Those in Wuse and Asokoro were relocated to Sabon Wuse. Some were sent to Karshi, Kurudu, Nyanya, Idu, Gwabwa, Kanwu, Zuba, Kanwa Sherre among others. While some settled in the surrounding villages, many of them relocated to neighbouring states of Niger, Nasarawa and Kaduna.

Yet, the FCT continues to expand, shrinking the space for the ancient land of these indigenous peoples. While compensation was paid to certain people and communities, the leaders of the Abuja Original Inhabitants insist that only peanuts were paid as compensation while many communities were forcefully relocated against their wish.

Added to this is the ceaseless political and economic marginalisation raised constantly by leaders of Abuja indigenous peoples. They lay claim to the cultural, political, social and economic domination which threaten their culture,  livelihood and survival. The Abuja Original Inhabitants claim that their land, some portions of which they have spiritual attachment to, have been usurped by the sprawling city while the political economy in the FCT keeps them  in the back bench.

 In January this year, 17 Abuja Chiefdoms decried marginalisation by the Federal Government. Apart from not being considered for strategic positions in the FCT, the people also cite the  recent constitution of the North Central Development Commission, (NCDC) which they say is without any representative from the FCT Indigenous people, according to Abuja Inhabitants Youths and Empowerment Organisation, (AOYEO). In 2023, the Original Inhabitants took their case to the United Nations led by Executive Director, Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civil Education, (CHRICED), Dr Ibrahim Mauleen Zikirullahi. He told the world at the 16^th session of the Expert Mechanisms on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples that Abuja Original Inhabitants face a variety of challenges including threats of cultural extinction. He said successive governments have refused to compensate Abuja indigenous peoples while their livelihood is characterised by lack of basic amenities like water, employment and good roads to their often remote settlements. He said some landmark Judgments of the Supreme Court in favour of indigenous peoples were ignored. It is not as if the Federal Government has not done anything. Other voices like MacArthur Foundation, are  drawing global attention to the plight of Abuja original inhabitants in order to avoid a major crisis or uprising. Also, two years ago, for the first time in history, the Federal Government appointed Hon Zaphaniah Bitrus Jisalo as the Federal Minister for Special Duties. He is from Abuja indigenous peoples, after more than four decades of having no Ministerial position from FCT indigenes and not a single person in the Federal Executive Council, (FEC). Yet, no Abuja indigene has ever been picked for the position of the FCT Minister. However, the Federal authority needs to do more by creating incentives and legal framework within the FCT to protect and preserve the heritage, rights and civilisation of indigenous people for the peace and prosperity of Abuja and Nigeria as a whole. Such steps may also include edicts that ensures Abuja indigenes are given priority in government and private employments in the ever expanding city.