Lawmaker seeks appointment of Abuja indigene as FCT minister

Minority Whip in the House of Representatives, Yakubu Umar Barde, has canvassed the appointment of Gbagi descendants as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

He said the people, who are the original settlers in Abuja, have been cheated for too long, adding that it is time to change the narratives.

Barde, who is Gbagi by tribe, lamented that since the creation of the territory, none of their sons or daughters have been made the FCT minister.

According to him, only people from the northeast, central and northwest, have been appointed as minister, a development, he said, impinges on the sensibilities of the people.

Barde made the call yesterday in his message to the 4th Gbagi Annual Cultural Festival, organised by the Karu Chiefdom Development Association, in Karu, Abuja.

The lawmaker, who was Chairman of the occasion said: “Oil derivation compensation has been approved for the Niger Delta region because the exploration is carried out in their region.

“Ministry of Niger Delta was also established for them, where only their sons are appointed as the minister, but we the Gbagis and other original settlers in the FCT who gave up our lands and farms to accommodate the federal government, have been pushed further to the hinterlands.”

He expressed concerns that only little or no compensation was paid to the people, even as they have not been deemed fir to be minister.

Barde disclosed that they have contacted their lawyers to put up a bill to be sent to the National Assembly, making it mandatory for their sons to be made FCT minister.

He also pledged the support of Gbagi people to the restructuring of Nigeria, adding that it will guarantee freedom, equity and justice for all across the nation.

Also, Senate Minority Whip, Senator Philip Aduda, said the 4th Gbagi annual festival was to bring the various groups resident in the FCT under one umbrella of peace and love.

Aduda said that despite obvious differences in culture, language and religion, the festival has been able to unite both the original settlers with other groups.

He appealed to the people to shun violence, before, during and after the coming elections.

The monarch, Sakaruyi of Karu, Dr. Emmanuel Yepwi, said the festival is one of the ways of preserving the cultural heritage of the people.

Chairman, Kagbada, Dangana Jimiko, also stressed the importance of the festival as a symbol of unity and love.