Abuja Natives Decry Exclusion From Envoy-Nominees’ List

Natives of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have lamented what they termed a deliberate policy of exclusion by the administration of President Bola Tinubu and demanded inclusion in the recent ambassadorial nominations.

They also demanded the appointment of at least two indigenes in the governing board of the North Central Development Commission (NCDC).

The original inhabitants of the FCT made their position known yesterday in a statement signed by the president of the Abuja Original Inhabitants and Youth Empowerment Organisation (AOIYEO), Commandant David Isaac.

Isaac decried the absence of FCT indigenes in the list of 35 ambassadorial nominees forwarded to the Senate by President Tinubu.

He expressed shock at the development, stating it undermined the constitutional rights of over six million original inhabitants and residents of the nation’s capital.

Isaac described the omission as the latest in a widening pattern of marginalisation since President Tinubu assumed office.

“The exclusion of FCT indigenes from the ambassadorial nominations is not an oversight; it is a deliberate and calculated attempt to sideline the original owners of this territory,” Isaac stated.

The group pointed to a precedent from June 2025, when the Federal Government similarly excluded FCT indigenes from the Governing Board of the newly established NCDC, despite explicit provisions in the NCDC Establishment Act of 2024.

The statement revealed that multiple appeals to the National Assembly had proven futile, culminating in tragedy.

“Multiple appeals and petitions to the National Assembly yielded no positive response, culminating tragically in the death of one protester during a peaceful demonstration. Regrettably, even the loss of life was not enough to draw Mr. President’s attention to this gross human rights violation,” he stated.

With the 2027 general elections on the horizon, the group warned that the patience of FCT indigenes is wearing thin, calling on the minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, to leverage his constitutional role to protect their interests.