Natives and residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have rejected the appointment of former deputy governor of Kogi State, Chief Edward Onoja, as the FCT commissioner for Public Complaints Commission (PCC), calling for immediate reversal of the appointment.
A major stakeholder and an elder statesman in the FCT, Danjuma Tanko Dara, who made this call yesterday in a press briefing on behalf of the natives and residents, described the appointment as an abuse of constitutional rights and federal character and against the original inhabitants and residents of Abuja.
Dara warns that when the country is boiling and everyone is thinking about how they can manage the planned nationwide protest situation, residents and natives of the FCT should not be angered or made to reconsider, which would jeopardise the peace and unity of the territory.
“The first law of nature is self-defence. We cannot fold our arms as indigenous people of Abuja communities and be overrun. The little appointment that indigenous people of FCT can boast of at any time, based on the constitution that the present administration used to prove that FCT be seen as one of the states of Nigeria, and it should operate like other states with full rights, has now been taken away by the same government.
“We do not expect the same government to abuse the opportunity given to them to win the presidential election by bringing somebody from Kogi State, who has never stayed in the FCT or contributed to the struggle and impose him on the people of the FCT.
“This is not right, and well-meaning residents and indigenes of the FCT should condemn it. The government should immediately reverse the appointment and appoint an indigene or a resident of the FCT to take over that position,” he said.
The elder statesman explained that even if it is not an indigene of the FCT appointed, an appointment of any resident of the FCT who has been living with them for ages will be accepted.
“We will not have a problem with the appointment of any residents who have lived with us for more than 10 years because he will understand our plights and struggles and know how to proceed.
“But it is unacceptable not to bring somebody from Kogi State, someone who has never contributed to the development of the FCT in any way, to take over such a sensitive position in the FCT.
“He is coming to enjoy what we have been struggling for over the years without joining in or contributing to the struggles. This is unacceptable. We condemn the appointment, and we, the indigenous people of the FCT, will not accept it.
“We are calling on President Bola Tinubu to correct this error at its early stage. This is one of the reasons why the Abuja original inhabitants are presently in court for lopsided appointments and the needful should be done before things get out of hand,” he said.
