Natives of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) under the auspices of Abuja Original Inhabitant Youth Empowerment Organization (AOIYEO) have called for the establishment of an Abuja Original Inhabitant Community Development Policy and Integration Framework as part of the new Master Plan.
It said the framework should guide the future treatment of indigenous communities by ensuring that they were respected, preserved, integrated and developed.
THE WHISTLER recalls that the FCT Minister, Barrister Nyesom Wike, appointed
the Executive Secretary of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), Engr. Richard Yunana Dauda as chairman of the Abuja Master Plan Review Committee.
The organisation said the framework would also put an end to the violation of the rights of original inhabitants to land and property, as well as their fundamental rights to live and the demolition of Original Inhabitant houses in the FCT.
The organisation further said the review should ensure that whenever development projects that would be introduced in the FCT, original
Inhabitants should be included.
The group in a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday by its Executive Director, Amb. Isaac David, AOIYEO described the review as a bold and visionary step that was long overdue.
It added that their cultural heritage, ancestral lands and livelihoods sho also be protected.
AOIYEO said it believed the review would bring an end to the era of exclusion of original inhabitants, and usher in a new chapter of inclusive urban planning in the FCT.
According to the organisation, the review has become necessary to accommodate current realities, rapid population expansion and infrastructure development, as well as reposition Abuja as a world-class smart city.
It commended the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, for initiating a comprehensive review of the 1979 Abuja Master Plan.
The organisation also praised the minister for appointing Dauda, an FCT indigene, as chairman of the Abuja Master Plan Review Committee.
AOIYEO also expressed appreciation to Wike for the appointment of Dauda, describing it as a historic development and a clear demonstration of the minister’s commitment to inclusivity, justice and recognition of Original Inhabitants as major stakeholders in the FCT project.
The organisation also commended the minister for approving the inclusion of indigenous people of the FCT as members of the ongoing Master Plan Review process.
It said the inclusion had provided original inhabitants with an opportunity to contribute their ideas towards making Abuja the best city in Africa.
