Abuja natives seek scrapping of land swap policy, want indigenous minister

THE natives of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, under the banner of the Original Inhabitants Development Association of Abuja (OIDA), have asked the President-elect, Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President-elect, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, to reverse the land swap policy of the present administration and appoint an indigene of Abuja as FCT Minister. They also congratulated the duo on their victory in the March 28 polls.

In a statement by the President of the association, Pastor Danladi Jeji, the pan-FCT socio-cultural group said the victory is a right step towards the fulfilment of the aspiration of Nigerians through the ballot box. They want the incoming All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government to ensure that all Nigerians have a say in the people-elected government which the President-elect himself tagged ‘governing government’.
According to Jeji: “The election of Gen. Buhari is the fulfilment of our aspiration for a people-centered government and we will offer maximum support to the incoming Federal Government which we are optimistic will have policies that will benefit not only original inhabitants of Abuja but also all Nigerians resident in the capital city.”
The natives are also asking the President-elect to appoint competent natives of Abuja as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and political aides so that the incoming government will not have a crisis of confidence between it and Abuja original inhabitants.
The statement added: “Abuja original inhabitants want the immediate scrapping of the land swap programme of the outgoing Minister of FCT, Bala Mohammed, because it is a conduit pipe for allocation of massive lands to cronies of the outgoing PDP-led Federal Government. We also seek a total audit of land allocations by the Abuja Geographic and Information System, AGIS.”
The group urged the APC-led Federal Government to create a development commission to cater for displaced indigenous communities in Abuja, saying: “The proposed Abuja Original Inhabitants Development Commission (AOIDC) should be statutory and derive its funding from 30 per cent of all sales accruing from allocable lands within the FCT. When established, AOIDC should deal with the lingering issues of relocation, resettlement and compensation for all project affected communities and persons.”
It also commended President Goodluck Jonathan for accepting defeat and saving the nation from crises that may have occurred if the election had not been conducted according to international best practices. They wished him the best of luck in his future endeavours.
Formally welcoming the President-elect and his running mate to the nation’s seat of power, the natives urged Gen. Buhari not to let Nigerians down considering the massive votes given to him by citizens from all parts of Nigeria, including the natives of the FCT, Abuja.