Two years after the implementation of the project of Promoting the Rights of the Original Inhabitants in the FCT, the impact of the project on beneficiaries has led to an outpouring of gratitude and calls for sustenance of the major milestones achieved.
Both prominent and ordinary Original Inhabitants in the Nigerian capital have been unanimous in extoling the effects of the project as an initiative, which has given voice to their cause and decisively put the issues of their decade-long marginalization on the forefront of the discourse on development, good governance and human rights in Nigeria.
One of the prominent traditional rulers in the FCT, the Sa’Peyi of Garki Chiefdom, HRM Alhaji (Dr) Usman Nga Kupi was so moved by the impacts achieved by the project that he conferred a chieftaincy title on the President of John D and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Professor John Palfrey. Palfrey is the only foreign dignitary in the 600-year history of the Garki Chiefdom to be so honored with the title of “Hero of FCT Original Inhabitants”.
Although the ceremony to mark the conferment was held in October 29, 2023, the act of recognition bestowed on the MacArthur Foundation President was the result of acceptance and participation in the activities of the project by the Garki monarch and the entire FCT Traditional Council of Chiefs. One such iconic moment was when the traditional ruler took part in the Grand Cultural Rally of indigenous people of the FCT, an event coordinated by CHRICED and all project cohort organizations to commemorate the 2023 International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.
Apart from bringing together the rich, vibrant, and hitherto largely neglected cultural treasures of the nine tribes in the FCT, the event presented an opportunity for CHRICED’s sub-grantees to showcase project work products. The Garki monarch toured the venue of the exhibition where he saw how FCT Original Inhabitants cultural artifacts and treasures were displayed for the world to see. His highness was pleasantly surprised about the effort made to present the cultural treasure of pottery and traditional clothe making.
Then came the most emotional moment when the traditional ruler toured the stand of the Original Inhabitants Persons with Disability Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society. The Sa’Peyi was pleasantly surprised about the products designed and exhibited by the Original Inhabitants with disabilities, which ranged from shoes, laptop bags, cane chairs, traditional attires and caps.
The Garki monarch, with tears streaming down his face, told the gathering that the traditional institution had been in a quandary about how to assist the OI people with disabilities from the FCT, but had been unable to do so due to funding constraints. He therefore declared that the Foundation, which had supported such a process deserved to be recognized by the people of the FCT.
It was at this point that the idea of conferring a traditional chieftaincy title on the President of MacArthur Foundation was mooted. Nonetheless, it is not only the royalty in the FCT that have been commending the impact of the project. People at the grassroots have been similarly enthused. The groundswell of voices calling for the sustenance of the grains of the project have been quick to point at the political, economic and cultural impacts achieved as a result of the project.
On the political front, for the very first time since the creation of the FCT in 1976, an Original Inhabitant in the FCT has been appointed as Minister, and by extension, a member of the Federal Executive Council, which is the highest decision making body in the country. Also, within the governance structure in the FCT, Original Inhabitants who had before now been sidelined, are being considered for appointment. A member of the project cohort, Bitrus Lawrence Garki was appointed as Mandate Secretary/Commissioner for the FCT Area Council Services Secretariat.
He is currently the youngest person in Nigeria serving in the position, which is the equivalent of a Commissioner in the State. At the coronation ceremony of Professor Palfrey, he narrated how the project of Promoting the Rights of FCT Original Inhabitants exposed him to important concepts in leadership and governance, while giving him the opportunity to advocate for the rights of his fellow original inhabitants. These efforts got him noticed and he was subsequently picked to drive solutions on the issues he has so passionately advocated for.
On the economic front, there have been many documented testimonies of Original Inhabitants who have talked about how the revival of the traditional arts and crafts like pottery have given them a source of livelihood, especially in the light of the devastation of the COVID-pandemic. Similarly, the advocacies to institutions in charge of employment and empowerment has led to scores of FCT Original Inhabitants job seekers getting access.
By far the most fundamental of the impacts of the project is the fact that it has addressed the myth of Abuja being a “no man’s” or a “virgin land” where no one existed before it became the capital in 1976. The awareness is now high that there were indigenous peoples who were displaced without adequate compensation, and that there is a need for the injustice to be redressed.
However, while the just concluded project has provided insight into the possibilities if civic groups strategically engage to right the historic wrongs against the FCT Original Inhabitants, the foundational work has opened up a number of critical areas of engagement for the future. The FCT Original Inhabitants question is the result of injustices perpetrated for over four decades. This two-year intervention has started the process; more time is certainly required to strengthen, sustain and consolidate the milestones achieved.
