The Akinola Aguda FCT report and the indigene’s statelessness

On the 10th of December 1975 the committee submitted its report, even before its 31st December deadline. It was the outcome of this report that initiated the series of activities, including the production of the Master plan and the subsequent development of Abuja as we have it today. It was the report that provided the […]

On the 10th of December 1975 the committee submitted its report, even before its 31st December deadline. It was the outcome of this report that initiated the series of activities, including the production of the Master plan and the subsequent development of Abuja as we have it today. It was the report that provided the first guide. In essence the Abuja Master Plan is a tool to the implementation of the report’s recommendation.
    Due to the fact that we do not have a vacuum, as a nation there is no area that is not peopled, or do not belong to any of the various Federating units. The committee was thus very mindful of salient issues to arise from its recommendation. Thus under the heading of Ethnic Accord it states “…along with avoiding the three major ethnic territories we also consider it necessary to avoid the extremely small ethnic territories to prevent the necessity of resettling a whole ethnic group outside its legitimate ethnic territory or “land” (e.g. moving people into what would be to them a “strange or possibly hostile” ethnic territory, now or in the foreseeable future). We also consider that no ethnic group or people should be rendered “stateless” as a result of loosing their land to the Capital Territory”.
The committee cautiously recommended the areal coverage of the entire FCT to be only 3,000 square miles equivalent to 4,800 km2. Thus its idea of resettling the original inhabitants to areas outside the FCT is hinged on this proposed size. However the final demarcation that was made later extends to 8,000km2, implying that more population are to be affected by resettlement. The additional size actually contributed to making the estimate for the resettlement be much higher than expected.
That led to the establishment yet another committee headed by Senator A. D. Rufa’i to advice the government on how to implement the Aguda Report in view of the challenges posed by the high resettlement cost. Among the terms of reference are; determining priorities for mandatory resettlement at places of the inhabitants choice and at the expense of the Federal Government; To determine the number of inhabitants who wish to move out voluntarily from the FCT and to bring up a plan for the phasing of movement and resettlement in accordance with available funds and to determine extent of Federal Government assistance.
 In the report submitted by the Rufa’i Committee on 30th January 1981, it stated what ensured between its delegation at the then Niger State Government House and the State House of Assembly. It states, “It was requested that the size of the territory be reduced in order to minimize the magnitude of the problem of resettlement. It is their view, that since the location of the city is now established, the size of the Territory can safely be reduced with less inconvenience to the inhabitants of the Capital Territory”. The Committee’s response was that matter does not form part of its terms of reference.
Niger State was concerned because it singly contributed 80% of the land that constitutes the FCT, through the former Abuja Emirate, now known as Suleja. It is the same State and Emirate that is to shoulder yet another burden of providing yet other lands for the FCT original inhabitants to be resettled. As according to the Aguda report they must not be taken to strange or hostile territory. The reason for the emphasis on the resettlement is to prevent “statelessness” of the indigenes, as it is now the case. The solution to the resettlement problem is still far from being solved, if not impossible. But, what is still possible is the earlier proposal for the reduction of the FCT size to merge it to its parent state. Alternatively, it is better to accord the severed part and its parent Emirate the status of a state, since Niger State already is the largest state in the country in terms of land mass.
With grievances from original Abuja indigenes, both within and outside the FCT, this shall be the killing of many birds with a single stone.