FCT Mandate Restoration Group has pleaded with President Bola Tinubu to assign the Ministry of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) portfolio to an Abuja indigene, Zephaniah Jissalo, who has been nominated to the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

National Coordinator of the coalition of youth organisations, Zainab Marafa, stated, yesterday, that making Jissalo FCT minister would go a long way to correcting years of injustice and marginalisation of FCT aborigines.

Marafa argued that the original owners of Abuja should be given their rightful position in the scheme of things to avoid restlessness, agitation, confrontation and militancy in the city.

According to her, successive administrations have marginalised and relegated the aborigines of FCT to the background in political appointments, resource allocation, provision of social amenities and development of rural communities.

She said: “Our group is canvassing the restoration of the manifest destiny of \original owners of FCT. We had been cheated, marginalised and pushed to the background for several years. We do not want to be violent, confrontational or militant in pursuing our demand. We wholeheartedly support the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Tinubu, who is determined to correct the ills of previous administrations.”

The youth organisation expressed profound gratitude to Tinubu for nominating Jissalo, a former Abuja Municipal Council Chairman with track record of performance and infrastructural transformation of the council for a ministerial position.