FCT Natives Want Abuja State, Propose Gwagwalada As Capital

A coalition of native groups and residents in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has made a decisive call for the creation of Abuja as Nigeria’s 37th state, designating Gwagwalada area council as its capital.

The demand was made yesterday during the inaugural meeting of the FCT Stakeholders’ Assembly in Gwagwalada, where leaders framed their struggle as a unified, class-based fight against systemic marginalisation rather than an ethnic conflict.

The Assembly’s president, Aliyu Daniel Kwali, declared the choice of venue symbolic and strategic.

“While Garki is recognised as the capital city of Nigeria, Gwagwalada remains the historical and cultural headquarters of the State of Abuja.

“We have deliberately chosen to gather here to send a clear message to the good people of Nigeria, to the federal government, and indeed to the global community that the Original Inhabitants and residents of the FCT, long subjected to marginalisation, are united in purpose and determination.

“We are resolute in our commitment to secure, protect, and defend the long-awaited State of Abuja, with Gwagwalada as its rightful capital,” he said.

Kwali outlined the Assembly’s mission as a non-profit, non-partisan civil society organisation dedicated to advancing the civic and constitutional rights of FCT natives and residents.

He addressed internal debates about collaboration with non-indigenous settlers, dismissing exclusionary arguments as outdated.

“The overwhelming majority of our members believe that such thinking is rooted in a historical sense of inferiority, one that the younger generation of Original Inhabitants has clearly outgrown,” he said.

In a significant rhetorical shift, Kwali reframed the core grievance from ethnic bias to economic disenfranchisement.

“The oppression of Original Inhabitants is not primarily ethnic, religious, or cultural. Rather, it is rooted in structural and systemic inequalities deliberately embedded within Nigeria’s political and economic power arrangements.

“These same mechanisms have condemned even resource-rich regions, such as the Niger Delta, to poverty and underdevelopment.

“Our struggle is not against ordinary Nigerians. Our true adversary is the political system and administrative processes imposed by Nigeria’s constitutional and legal framework, which continue to exclude us from meaningful participation,” he said.

He concluded with a call for broad coalition-building and constructive engagement, seeking dialogue on land rights, heritage protection, and the establishment of a second-tier democratic government as exists in other states.

The assembly also heard from Rev. Barr. Aboki Zhawa, who provided a constitutional and philosophical foundation for the statehood demand.

He reminded attendees of Abuja’s original purpose as a neutral capital but highlighted the unique plight of its original inhabitants.

“They have no other place they can genuinely call their own. Justice, equity, and fairness demand that the original inhabitants and early settlers of the FCT should fully enjoy the constitutional provisions accorded to citizens in other states of the federation,” he said.

Zhawa made a direct appeal for constitutional reform, calling for the abolition of the indigene-settler dichotomy, citing Section 42(1) of the 1999 Constitution.

“To truly coexist as one people, we must move beyond labels that divide us and embrace citizenship as the basis of belonging.

“Zoning, when sincerely applied, will reduce tension, accommodate various and diverse cultures, promote inclusion, fairness, and a sense of belonging among all groups.

“Let the FCT stand as a living example of peaceful coexistence, justice, and mutual respect; an example for the rest of the country to follow,” he said.

The inaugural meeting marked a strategic escalation in the decades-long agitation for FCT statehood, now couched in the language of economic justice, constitutional rights, and inclusive citizenship.