JOURNALISTS have expressed concern over the growing impact of climate change on indigenous communities in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), urging federal and regional authorities to adopt proactive measures to safeguard their livelihoods and cultural heritage.
The call was made in Lagos at a workshop titled “50 Years after Abuja: Climate change and livelihood of Abuja original inhabitants (AOI),” organised to reflect on five decades after the creation of the FCT.
Abuja became Nigeria’s capital in 1976 following the promulgation of Decree 6 by the military government, which relocated the seat of power from Lagos.
Participants noted that 50 years after the relocation, indigenous ethnic groups, including the Koro, Nupe, Gwari, Ganagana, Ebira and Gade, continue to lament the loss of ancestral lands, deforestation and declining living standards linked to urban expansion and environmental degradation.
About 30 journalists, alongside students from Mass Communication departments and the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ), attended the event.
In his welcome address, Coordinator of the Network of Journalists on Indigenous Issues (NEJII), Mr Adewale Adeoye, said the Nigerian media had historically played a critical agenda-setting role in national development, peace building and conflict prevention.
He described the neglect of Abuja’s original inhabitants as a lingering national issue requiring urgent attention if the nation’s democracy is to be meaningful and inclusive.
According to him, land and forests remain central to the identity and survival of indigenous communities.
Fabian Anawo of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) outlined the environmental challenges confronting the communities, including erratic rainfall patterns, flooding, rising temperatures, disappearance of tree cover, destruction of homes and farms, and declining plant and animal species.

Delivering a paper titled “Abuja Original Inhabitants and the Task of Living with Climate Change,” former Editor of The Punch Newspapers, Mr Olalekan Adetayo, said his experience as a State House Correspondent exposed him to the changing climate realities in the FCT and their consequences for indigenous residents.

He defined climate change as long-term shifts in temperature and weather patterns driven by industrialisation, deforestation, bush burning, mining, grazing pressures and rapid urban expansion. For Abuja’s indigenous people, he said, the impact manifests in flooding of rural settlements, loss of arable land, water scarcity, heat stress and declining biodiversity.
Adetayo noted that while the development of Abuja under the Federal Capital Territory Administration has expanded infrastructure, it has often come at high ecological cost to indigenous territories.
He warned that climate-induced agricultural failures threaten food security and livelihoods, as many indigenous residents depend on subsistence farming, fishing, hunting and forest-based resources.
Participants advocated inclusive land dialogue, recognition of customary land rights, climate adaptation funding, early warning systems and broader peacebuilding strategies to strengthen stability in indigenous communities.
The workshop was organised in collaboration with the Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED) and supported by the MacArthur Foundation.