VIEWPOINT: Abuja Deserves Better, By Bitrus Lawrence Garki

I wholeheartedly wish to use this opportunity to congratulate the president, president elect, Senators and House of Representative elect on their victory in the general elections held on 25th February, 2023.

Permit me to welcome you to this sober occasion for the residents of the Federal Capital Territory and especially so for the indigenous peoples who are disenfranchised in a day like this when people in other states in the federation have the privilege to exercise their franchise by casting their vote to elect their Governors and State legislators of the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria erroneously tagged no man’s land even though simultaneously referenced as city of national unity.

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This event was given a consideration for a number of reasons which the Youth considers very necessary so as to draw the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory along with the President and Commander in Chiefs of Nigeria’s attention to the disenfranchisement of the entire residents of the federal Capital Territory today. This is indeed so for the indigenous peoples of the Federal Capital who can cast their votes for only the President and federal Legislatures. The effects and impact of the discriminatory policy and the deprivation of right of franchise can only better be imagined. This is indeed so given the incredible sacrifices towards ensuring that the Federal capital territory has become a reality even though at their own peril.

Background Information

You may recall that the idea to relocate the Capital City from Lagos to a more suitable location dates back to 1918 when Lord Lugard recommended at his step down as Governor-General in 1918 the transfer of the capital from Lagos to Kaduna. General Gowon at a convocation in Ahmadu Bello University in the 1970 threw the challenge for the relocation of the Federal Capital City from Lagos given the myriad of challenges Lagos faced as the Federal Capital and State capital city.

The inauguration of the eight-man panel headed by Justice Akinola Aguda on August 9, 1975, by General Murtala Ramat Muhammad to advice the Federal Government on the desirability or otherwise of relocating Lagos as the Federal Capital and consequent enactment of Decree 6 on 5th February 1976 concretized the establishment of the Federal Capital Territory. The arrival of President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida to Abuja on 12th December 2012 marked the formal relocation of the Capital from Lagos to Abuja.

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Even though Abuja is today a reality, over time, it has meant different things to different people. To those that conceived it, it is ‘center of unity’ and ‘no-man’s-land’; to some it is ‘a bundle of contradictions with an ironic and paradoxical persona’. To others Abuja is a triumph of ethno-regional maneuvers and a rational attempt at fostering national unity and development. To some still, it is a point of heightening and worsening of inter-ethnic and inter-faith relationships.

Even though reasons advanced for the movement of Lagos to Abuja included addressing the conflicting dual roles of Lagos as both a state and federal capital, inadequacy of land space; limitations imposed by the lagoons and creeks; vulnerability to external attacks; inadequate infrastructure; overpopulation; and the high cost of living, for the original inhabitants, it is a citadel of social, economic and political injustice depicted in the absence of the second-tier administration.

Crux of the Matter for Today

Constitutional Provisions: Section 147 (3) of the CFRN provides that “. . . the President shall appoint at least one Minister from each State and the FCT, who shall be an indigene of such State and the FCT”

In practice in the Federal Capital Territory;
This Constitutional provision is in flagrant violation even when there is a subsisting court decision to implement for about five years now.

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The Federal Capital Territory is represented in the Senate by only one senator.

The FCT is represented in the Federal House of representative by only 2 Members.

Section 299 and 300 of Chapter VIII of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria provides for; President to serve as the Governor of the Federal Capital Territory.

The national assembly to serve as the legislatures of the Federal Capital Territory. The legal position of Section 299 of the CFRN is that the FCT is unambiguously a state.

In practice; The minister of the Federal Capital Territory as representatives of the President of Nigeria superintends over the Federal capital Territory on behalf of the President as the Governor.

The Minister is an appointee of the President and not elected.
The National Assembly that serves as the Federal Capital Territory legislatures from all practical intent and purposes is a misnomer.

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Failed Promises

The resettlement programme has been a complete failure.

Development of the Federal Capital city and the Capital Territory has not kept pace with the plan.

The projected establishment of an efficient result-oriented administration with focus on service delivery has been a mirage.
A city conceived to be the pride of Nigeria and Africa where all Africans and Africans in Diaspora will feel at home has turned otherwise.

The indigenous peoples have been short-changed and to and for them the territory has rather turned a nightmare.

For bureaucrats, contractors, consultants and their ilk the Federal Capital City and indeed the Territory is a goldmine to the chagrin of the original inhabitants hopelessly wallow in abject poverty.

Policies have been inconsistent and where any is being implemented, they have been carried out with impunity thereby putting the future of the inhabitants in a state of uncertainty and indeed jeopardy.

Appeal

Given our democratic strides, we want to use this opportunity to appeal to the President, Commander in Chief of the Armed forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the National Assembly to ensure the deepening of rule of law, inclusiveness, good governance and international best practices.

God Bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria!!!
Many thanks.

– Bitrus Lawrence Garki (BLG), Chairman of Attachi, delivered this speech on March 18. Attachi is a Socio-cultural Organization that documents and advocates for cultural intrigues/rights and social development of our society.

Disclaimer: This article is entirely the opinion of the writer and does not represent the views of The Whistler.

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