The Guardian (Nigeria)

FCT Aborigines Ask For More Senatorial Districts, Constituen­cies

- From Anthony Otaru, Abuja

THE original settlers of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), otherwise known as the aborigines, have asked the Federal Government to create two additional senatorial districts to enable the territory produce equal senators like other 36 states of the federation.

They also solicited for the immediate creation of more constituen­cies to allow them produce more House of Representa­tive members at the lower house.

The FCT presently has only one senator and two members in the House of Representa­tives, a situation they described as “unfair.”

The Director, Institute of Governors and Developmen­t Studies, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Professor Andrew Ezadueyan Zamani disclosed this yesterday in his welcome address to the 5th Annual Gbagi Cultural Festival 2020 held in Karu, Abuja.

Zamani, who was the chief host, said, “We believe that when the federal government finally concedes the third tier to us and approves two additional senatorial districts and federal constituen­cies for the FCT, the same goodwill shall be extended. It is unfortunat­e that the territory presently has only one senator and two House of Representa­tives members.”

Earlier, the chairman of the occasion and former co-ordinator, FCT Satellite Town Developmen­t Agency, Tanko Ishaku Yamawo, said, “We are here to display our rich culture, to help our children have the basic knowledge and background of their culture and heritage to avoid going into extinction.”

In his speech, the Executive Chairman, Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Abdullahi Adamu Candido, who donated over N500, 000 to provide cultural museum for the festival, appealed to the nine original settlers in the FCT not to allow their culture to die.

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