A Network for the Protection of Abuja Indigenous People Launched

Segun James

As part of a move to bring the social and political plight of the indigenous people of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to the fore, two groups, the Network of Journalists on Indigenous Issues (NJII) and Lawyers Network for the Protection of the Rights of Abuja Original Peoples (NPRAOP) have been established to promote and defend the rights of original inhabitants in the FCT.

The indigenous peoples who were the first to settle in the FCT some hundreds of years ago complained of exclusion and all forms of repression as well as loss of their ancestral values occasioned by the movement of the federal capital from Lagos to Abuja in 1976 by the military regime and the subsequent loss of most of their land.

The first people lament the displacement and evictions they have been facing and the denial of access to their ancient land to which they have physical and spiritual attachment. The original inhabitants of Abuja are about two million people.

The formation of the networks was part of the resolution at the end of a weeklong training and workshop dedicated to dealing with the plight of Abuja’s original inhabitants, mainly in Gwari, Nupe, Ganagana, Koro, Ebira, Bassa and others that make up the nine aboriginal ethnic groups. The events also led to the establishment of the first Working Group on Indigenous Peoples in Nigeria.

The event was organised by the Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education, CHRICED with the support of the John D and Catherine T and the MacArthur Foundation.

 CHRICED dedicated the first two days to the training of journalists in collaboration with Journalists for Democratic Rights, (JODER) and the International Press Centre (IPC) while another two days were set aside for expert summit on access to justice.

CHRICED has continued to sustain its

reputation as the country’s foremost human rights group with a distinguished career in promoting sustainable development in Africa.

The organisers said the summits are timely interventions to prevent conflict and ensure peace-building in the FCT.

The weeklong event saw extensive training of journalists on indigenous issues and a peer review by legal luminaries on the various laws that favour or marginalise the original inhabitants. They observed that there is a need to review all the statutory provisions to ensure any future constitutional review is inclusive of the rights of Abuja original inhabitants.  Participants urged the Nigerian Government to as a matter of urgent importance create the necessary atmosphere to address the challenges of indigenous peoples, especially the original inhabitants of Abuja, who wish to live in peace in a just and equitable country.

Speaking at the conference, the Executive Director, CHRICED, Mr. Zikirullahi Ibrahim, said original inhabitants in Abuja are enraged against historic injustices, adding that it was important to provide a democratic platform for them to express their views in a peaceful manner to avoid conflict or people taking the law into their hands.

He said dialogue around original inhabitants would aid the stability and prosperity of the country.

Ibrahim said resolutions at the end of the event would be made available to the relevant authorities for prompt action.

In the communique signed by Ibrahim and the Executive Director JODER, Mr. Adewale Adeoye, participants noted that original owners are not alone knowing that the United Nations is concerned about the plight of indigenous people, and since 1982 has provided various conventions and treaties, including the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP); the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention 169; the Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ECOSOC); the Convention on Biological Diversity (COB); the establishment of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Peoples and the Working Group on Indigenous Issues,