Abuja Original Inhabitants Hail Tinubu over Jisalo’s Ministerial Nomination

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

The umbrella body of groups campaigning for the rights of Abuja natives, the Original Inhabitants Association of Abuja (OIAA) has applauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for departing from the norm by naming an indigene of the Federal Capital Territory, Hon. Zaphaniah Jisalo, as a ministerial nominee under a democratic dispensation.

The last time a ministerial nominee was appointed from among the FCT indigenes was under the military administration headed by General Ibrahim Babangida, who appointed Major General Abdullahi Bagudu Mamman as Minister of Internal Affairs between 1990 and 1991.

The President of OIAA, Pastor Danladi Jeji, said that the feat would put Tinubu’s name in the annals of history as “a true and undiluted progressive and a man of justice and fair play.”

He said that the president has by his action shown that he is a man who obeys the rule of law as the highest court in Nigeria has in the last decade ruled that “FCT is a state,” and that FCT should immediately be granted a seat on the Federal Executive Council (FEC) even though subsequent governments, including the immediate past administration of Muhammadu Buhari refused to obey the court orders.

The statement, which was signed by the Media Adviser of the OIAA, Mr. Sumner Shagari Sambo, urged Tinubu to be courageous in taking the right steps by ensuring that historical injustices are corrected so as to further cement the building blocks of the Nigerian society.

Jeji said: “Having solved one of the major injustices against our people and opened the door for our future generations, the next step is for President Tinubu to hand Zaphaniah Jisalo the FCT Minister’s portfolio or it should be rotated to other geopolitical zones this time around, in case it is not feasible by Mr. President’s calculation. We should have the right of first refusal on the FCT Minister portfolio.”

The Abuja original inhabitants claimed that FCT natives have suffered severely in the hands of successive ministers who hardly took into cognisance the peculiarities of their people in policy formulation and overall governance.

While pledging full support for Tinubu, the FCT indigenes also appealed to the new administration to ensure further democratisation of governance in the FCT by ensuring that FCT’s designation as a state is fully obeyed in line with the tenets of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and as proclaimed by the courts.

“President Bola Tinubu and his legal team have consistently told the election court that ‘FCT is a state’, just as we the indigenes have been canvassing over the years as sanctioned by judicial pronouncements.

“We are fully with him on this and we would like him to go ahead and ensure that the FCT system of governance is further democratised in a format that allows us, the indigenes and Abuja residents to elect our own governor and House of Assemblys.

“We, therefore, plead with President Tinubu to hand over his dual position as governor of FCT and for the National Assembly to also handover their dual position as FCT House of Assembly to the FCT indigenes and residents so as to allow them exercise their democratic rights like other Nigerians in states, going forward.”

 The OIAA also commended the Senate for swiftly screening Jisalo and applauded the solidarity shown by the former Senate Minority Leader, Senator Philip Aduda, incumbent FCT Senator Ireti Kingibe, Abuja South Federal Constituency House of Representatives member, Hon. Abdulrahman Ajiya and other well-wishers from the APC, PDP, Labour Party among for the FCT ministerial nominee.

Jeji, who is also the Secretary of OIAA Board of Trustees, said the association would continue to fight for the