Lazarus Nyaholo, Chairman of the Original Inhabitants Ambassadors of the Centre for Transparency Advocacy (CTA), has urged the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to engage relevant stakeholders in his development efforts for the territory.
He made the call on Wednesday in Abuja at a town hall meeting on the “Original Inhabitants Project” organised by CTA, a civil society organisation.
Nyaholo who is also Secretary, Garki Traditional Council, while commending Wike on his approach to duty, said that “the first action he has taken about the indigenous people was a good one.
“But I want to advise that he should engage stakeholders in every community so that the development can go on. The master plan of Abuja even when you look at the first page, it says where possible, there should be adjustments; that is the opening of the master plan.
“Whatever the master plan would have envisaged, when you come to reality and you see there is need for adjustments, let there be those adjustments.
“The minister should engage the stakeholders of the original inhabitants,” Nyaholo said.
On the effects of removal of petrol subsidy on Nigerians, the ambassador urged the Federal Government to be more practical in its approach.
”The government should approach the economy in a practical sense that is sustainable, that can go get to the ordinary man. We should not be theoretical about the economy,” he said.
Programme and Communication Manager of CTA, MacDonald Ekemezie, said that the two-year project which started in 2021 would soon be wrapped up. He said that it was implemented from a funding by the McArthur Foundation through Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED).
Ekemezie said that the objective of the project included improved awareness and voice of FCT Original Inhabitants about their rights, responsibilities and options through a Community Theatre Group.
“The objectives also include improved level of responsiveness of government, institutions and actors to address the injustices arising from extractive mining through advocacy for mining contract transparency.
“We set out three key objectives especially looking at the cultural economic, environmental rights and political of the original inhabitants of the FCT.
“Since then, we have been able to take it in bits we can tell you that within the trajectory and the life of this project, we have been able to conscientise the communities to know exactly their rights.
“On the communities, we were able to mobilise them enough to know that during mining activities, there should be responsible mining in their communities and if people are taking away their natural resources that those natural resources they should also benefit from,” he said.
For Jacob Sananu, Secretary of the CTA the group had greatly impacted on the lives of the FCT residents.
“We appreciate the efforts of CTA at amplifying our voices. They have been practical, they have impacted our lives especially in Community Development Agreements (CDA). We now understand the difference between our rights and privileges.
“We, however, appeal to McArthur Foundation to extend the period of the project for sustenance.”
NEWS AGENCY OF NIGERIA
, has urged the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to engage relevant stakeholders in his development efforts for the territory.){kind=link}