FCT Stakeholders Begin Data Collection Across 858 Communities

The FCT Stakeholders Assembly has commenced a territory-wide data collection exercise to document village heads, youth leaders, women leaders and other community representatives across the 858 communities in the Federal Capital Territory.

The exercise, which commenced on Wednesday in Bwari area council, continued yesterday in Karu and Karshi communities under the Karu and Karshi chiefdoms in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC).

The organisers said the exercise would cover all six area councils and 17 chiefdoms in the FCT, with the data also capturing deputies and secretaries of the various community leadership structures.

Speaking with journalists during the exercise, the Project Director/Programme Officer of the Assembly, Commandant Isaac David, said the initiative was aimed at addressing gaps in community records and establishing a reliable database for grassroots planning and engagement.

David, who was recently conferred with the title of Supreme Leader of FCT youths, said accurate information on community leadership was essential to effective government planning and implementation of development programmes.

He said the exercise was not merely about collecting names but about establishing authentic and verifiable records of community structures.

“You cannot plan effectively when you do not have accurate data. We have 858 communities in the FCT, spread across six Area Councils and 17 chiefdoms, and we need to know the leadership structure of each of these communities.

“This exercise is therefore not just about collecting names. It is about establishing authentic and verifiable records that can help in planning, coordination and engagement with the communities,” he said.

According to him, the database would also provide clear channels of communication between government and grassroots communities.

He said the absence of reliable records could create confusion over representation and make it difficult for government institutions and development agencies to engage the appropriate stakeholders.

“We want to know the village heads, the youth leaders, the women leaders, their deputies and secretaries. When there is an issue affecting a community, there should be clarity about who to engage,” David said.

He said the inclusion of youth and women leaders was important to ensure that their roles in grassroots development and community engagement were properly recognised.

David added that all information collected would undergo verification to establish the authenticity of the community leadership structures.

“We are interested in authentic and verifiable data. It must not be a situation where people simply present names without proper verification. The credibility of the exercise depends on the quality of the information we gather,” he said.

He said the exercise was being conducted systematically across the area councils and chiefdoms to ensure that no community was left out.

The stakeholders said the resulting database would strengthen community structures, improve grassroots engagement and provide a clearer basis for development planning.

They added that proper documentation of community leadership would also promote broader participation in development initiatives.