New Districts: Abuja natives demand integration

By Stanley Onyekwere

The Abuja Original Inhabitants Youth Empowerment Organisation has stressed the urgent need for government to adopt integration policy rather than resettlement and compensation of Abuja natives, in the wake of creation four new Districts in the nation’s capital city.
The youth group bemoaned that the practice of resettlement and compensation has failed to give the natives a sense of belonging and has alienated them from their ancestral lands.
Recall that the FCT Administration had announced that the creation of 5073 plots of land out of the four newly created districts in the phase 4 south of the Federal Capital City, Abuja, namely; Mamusa North, Mamusa East, Parfun North and Parfun South.
In a statement issued in Abuja by the leader of the Youth organisation, Commander Isaac David noted commended the FCTA for this bold initiative, it is imperative that the initiatives are fully captured in the developmental process through integration instead of resettlement.
“We have opted for integration because historically, the practice of resettlement and compensation has failed woefully to give the natives a sense of belonging and has alienated them from their ancestral lands.
“They should therefore be accorded the same status as other Nigerians by giving them allocations in the districts and compelling them to build their houses in accordance with government designs and specifications.
“The policy of integration will also save the government huge resources that would have been used to pay compensations and the building of new settlements,” the statement added.
The statement also stated that policy of integration is also in tandem with international best practices for urban renewal and slum upgrading as contained in UN HABITAT documents to which Nigeria is a signatory.
In a related development, the Abuja Original Inhabitants Youth Empowerment Organisation has also commended the recent establishment of a new Police Division in Kabusa in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC).
The group noted that the establishment of the police division was a demonstration of the fact that the government and the present leadership of the FCTA under the leadership of Malam Muhammad Bello is responsive to the yearnings of the people for greater security of lives and property.
The group said, “We will surely reciprocate this gesture through deepened cooperation and collaboration with the government to give the natives and residents of the FCT a breath of fresh air and an appreciation of the dividends of democracy.
“We will definitely work with your administration to take the FCT to the next level.”