Stakeholders protest exclusion of FCT indigenes from Tinubu’s Ambassadorial list

By Omeiza Ajayi & Favour Ulebor

ABUJA: The Federal Capital Territory FCT Stakeholders’ Assembly has protested the exclusion of Abuja indigenes from the recently released list of Ambassadorial nominees forwarded to the Senate by President Bola Tinubu, describing the omission as a grave injustice to the original inhabitants and residents of the Territory.

Speaking at a joint news conference Thursday in Abuja, President of the Assembly, Aliyu Daniel Kwali, flanked by leaders of the FCT Civil Society Groups and the Abuja Original Inhabitants Youths Empowerment Organization AOIYEO, said the development amounted to a “deliberate and calculated attempt to violate the constitutional and human rights” of more than six million people who call the Territory home.

Kwali said the latest omission fits into what he called a worrisome pattern of sidelining FCT indigenes in key national appointments.

He recalled that in June 2025, the federal government constituted the Governing Board of the North Central Development Commission NCDC in total disregard of the NCDC Establishment Act 2024, appointing members without a single FCT original inhabitant.

According to him, pleas from stakeholders, including the tragic death of one protester during a peaceful demonstration, failed to compel the administration to review the appointments.

He warned that as the country approaches the 2026 Area Council elections and the 2027 general polls, the federal government must demonstrate fairness, inclusion and respect for constitutional provisions if it expects the trust of the people.

The Assembly therefore urged President Tinubu to immediately review the Ambassadorial list and ensure the inclusion of at least one FCT original inhabitant, while also appointing no fewer than two FCT indigenes to the NCDC Governing Board.

Kwali appealed to the Minister of the FCT, Barrister Nyesom Wike, to protect the rights and interests of the original inhabitants, noting that Section 299(a) of the Constitution places on him the full responsibilities of a state governor. He said the minister must not shy away from this duty.

“The Original Inhabitants of the FCT will no longer accept the persistent violation of our rights. We will resist any attempt to reduce us to second-class citizens in our own homeland.

“We therefore call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately address these injustices by including at least one Original Inhabitant among the Ambassadorial nominees, and by appointing at least two Original Inhabitants to the Governing Board of the NCDC.

“We also call upon the Honourable Minister of the FCT, Barrister Nyesom Wike, who, in accordance with Section 299(a) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), stands in for Mr President as the Governor of the FCT, not to abdicate his constitutional responsibility.

“As the political and administrative leader of the Territory, he bears a heightened obligation to safeguard the rights, freedoms, and interests of the Original Inhabitants, just as any state governor would for their people.

“We urge the Honourable Minister to confront this injustice with the same vigour he applies to land administration and infrastructure development, because, ultimately, human infrastructure is the most valuable asset”, they declared.

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