Middle Belt Forum, CHRICED raise similar concerns
The Federal Government has been urged to ratify the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention 169 on the rights of indigenous and tribal peoples as a step towards addressing the political and economic marginalisation of Abuja Original Inhabitants (AOIs).
The Network of Journalists on Indigenous Issues (NEJII), in a statement by its Coordinator, Adewale Adeoye, to mark the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, alleged that Abuja’s over two million indigenous residents still live in poverty, despite the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) thriving on government and private investments on their ancestral lands, often without fair compensation.
“Indigenous people in Nigeria face persistent social, cultural and economic marginalisation. Ratifying ILO Convention 169 will remove historical barriers to justice and inclusion faced by Abuja Original Inhabitants,” NEJII stated.
Adopted in 1989, the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention requires governments to respect indigenous rights, recognise their socio-economic status, protect territories from displacement, and ensure participation in decisions affecting them. Only 23 countries have ratified it — 15 in Latin America and just one in Africa, the Central African Republic.
The group urged the National Assembly to make Nigeria the second African country to do so, shifting interventions from “token gestures” to “institutional approaches” that address decades of deprivation.
Land, the AOIs’ most valuable asset, was largely taken over by the Federal Government after the FCT’s creation in 1976, often without adequate compensation, NEJII noted.
It added: “Despite Nigeria’s long ILO membership since 1960 and multiple ratifications, Convention 169 remains unsigned. The UN describes it as the only legally binding international instrument for indigenous rights, covering land, natural resources, cultural preservation, and development.”
Globally, there are 476 million indigenous people in 90 countries, representing over 5,000 cultures. Abuja’s indigenous inhabitants, mainly Gwari (Gbagyi), Bassa, and Gwandara, have reportedly faced displacement, inadequate resettlement, and loss of farmlands since 1976. Many now live in poverty amid the capital’s economic boom.
Politically, the FCT’s non-state status leaves natives with only one senator and two House of Representatives members, and no control over local governance, which is administered by a minister. Rapid urbanisation has eroded indigenous culture and traditions, while settlements allegedly lack roads, water, schools, and healthcare.
