TheCable

The house of representatives has asked Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), to prioritise the resettlement and compensation of displaced indigenes of the nation’s capital.

The lower legislative chamber passed the resolution at the plenary on Wednesday after adopting a motion.

The motion was sponsored by Chinedu Obika, a Labour Party (LP) lawmaker representing the Abuja municipal/Bwari federal constituency of the FCT.

In recent years, the indigenous inhabitants of the FCT have been protesting the alleged takeover of their ancestral lands for infrastructural purposes without getting adequate compensation.

While moving the motion, Obika said due to its status as the seat of government, FCT has experienced rapid urbanisation and population growth.

He lamented that the nation’s capital is still experiencing challenges like inadequate infrastructure, housing shortages, and marginalisation of indigenous communities.

He said previous administrations’ attempts to compensate, integrate, and resettle the “original inhabitants” of the FCT “have not yielded the desired results due to a lack of proper coordination”.

The lawmaker said the communities—Jabi village, Durumi, Piwoyi, Dawaki, Kuchibena, Jahi 1 and 2, Kadobinku in Gwarinpa, Galadima, Iddo Sarki, and Guzape—have not been compensated or integrated after being deprived of their farmlands.

Lawmakers voted in support of the motion when it was put to a voice vote by Ben Kalu, deputy speaker of the house.

Subsequently, the house asked the minister to “prioritise FCT’s original inhabitants’ relocation to suitable locations and compensate displaced individuals, considering economic, social, and cultural losses, and involving community leaders in resettlement and compensation initiatives”. 

The house also urged the FCT administration to upgrade the department of resettlement, integration, and compensation into an agency.

A bill seeking to create a board to oversee the compensation and resettlement of indigenes in the FCT failed to scale through in the 9th assembly.