FCT natives raise concern over ambassadorial appointment
The indigenous people of the FCT under the umbrella of the Original Inhabitants Development Association (OIDA) have picked holes in the recent list of ambassadorial nominees by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying such did not reflect the federal character principle. The President of OIDA, Pastor Danladi Jeji, who spoke during a press conference in Abuja […]
Gbagyi musicians during the cultural festival in Karu, Abuja.
Photo: Abubakar Sadiq Isah
The indigenous people of the FCT under the umbrella of the Original Inhabitants Development Association (OIDA) have picked holes in the recent list of ambassadorial nominees by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying such did not reflect the federal character principle.
The President of OIDA, Pastor Danladi Jeji, who spoke during a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, said despite it being spelt out in the federal character principle that the selection process cuts across the 36 states and the FCT, there was no representation from the FCT.
He said that neither a representative from the FCT in non-career nor the career categories was captured in the list, and described it as unfair, unjust and an attempt to further marginalise the people. He noted that Section 299 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) made it clear that FCT-Abuja should be treated as one of the states of the federation.
“And this is the same section that gave APC victory in the cases that followed the presidential election by the opposition parties,” he said.
He lamented that the federal government sidelined the FCT natives in the newly established North Central Development Commission (NCDC), which he said appointed an indigene of Benue State to represent the indigenous people of the territory.
Jeji, therefore, called on Tinubu to, as a matter of urgency and in the interest of justice, equity and fairness give the natives of Abuja a sense of belonging by nominating non-career and career ambassadors from the FCT.
He noted that the indigenes of Abuja were hardworking, competent and had sons and daughters with the right skills to fill in the slots for both the non-career and career ambassadorial lists.