Many Nigerians unaware of FCT indigenes’ plights – Centre
The Socio-Economic Research and Development Centre (SERDEC), yesterday, said many Nigerians are unaware of the current plights and struggles of the indigenous people of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) since their ancestral lands were taken over and used as Nigeria’s capital. The centre explained that there was a paucity of initiatives to assist them in […]
The Socio-Economic Research and Development Centre (SERDEC), yesterday, said many Nigerians are unaware of the current plights and struggles of the indigenous people of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) since their ancestral lands were taken over and used as Nigeria’s capital.
The centre explained that there was a paucity of initiatives to assist them in seeking redress and ensuring social and economic justice despite their marginalisation, exclusion and subjugation for over four decades, noting that the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (SMEDAN) had been involved in bringing on board an initiative to address the challenges.
The Executive Director of SERDEC, Tijani AbdulKareem, who stated this at a sensitisation programme held at the Kuje Town Hall on Tuesday, said that empowerment and employment opportunities had been eluding the indigenous people due to lack of information and awareness.
He said, “It is pertinent to note that despite the over four decades of marginalisation, exclusion and subjugation that FCT original inhabitants have endured since their ancestral lands were expropriated to make way for the Nigerian capital, few Nigerians are aware of their plights and struggles.”
On her part, in an interview with City & Crime on the sideline of the programme, the FCT SMEDAN Manager, Mrs Mary Kolawole, lamented that it was the only the FCT that had lower number of SMEs in the country.
She said, “Out of the data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) from a 2017 survey, Only 41 million SMEs are in the entire country, with FCT having the least number. In 2021, the number of SMEs dropped to 39 million due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Musa Adikwo, President of the People Living with Disabilities (PLWD) in Kuje Area Council, said his members who participated in the programme would ensure other members of the FCT were carried along on how to access various opportunities set aside for them.