FCT Stakeholders Assembly Completes Grassroots Leadership Data Capture

The Federal Capital Territory Stakeholders Assembly (FCT-SA) has concluded its grassroots community leadership data collection exercise in Kuje and Abaji Area Councils, completing the latest phase of its effort to document traditional and community leadership structures across the territory.

The exercise, which ended on Tuesday focused on Community Leadership Grassroots Structures (CLGS) and involved the documentation of traditional rulers, village heads, youth and women leaders, their deputies, secretaries and other key community stakeholders.

The Assembly said the exercise was part of its broader data-collection programme covering the six area councils of the Federal Capital Territory, aimed at providing a database of community leadership structures for planning and development initiatives.

Speaking with journalists after the exercise, the Project Director/Programme Officer of the Assembly, Commandant Isaac David, said the exercise was designed to ensure that grassroots communities and their leadership structures were properly identified and documented.

David said the exercise was not limited to collecting names but was intended to establish a reliable structure for engaging communities and incorporating their concerns into development planning.

“Today marks the successful completion of our Community Leadership Data Collection Exercise in Kuje and Abaji Area Councils.

“We have documented the traditional rulers, village heads, youth leaders, women leaders, their deputies, secretaries and other critical stakeholders. The essence is to have a clear understanding of the grassroots leadership structures within these communities.

“Every community matters and every voice counts. Our objective is to ensure that no community is left out of the process,” he said.

According to him, the information gathered would help strengthen community engagement and provide a basis for people-centred planning and development, particularly in relation to Abuja Original Inhabitant communities.

He said the Assembly would use the data as part of efforts to strengthen peace, promote unity and improve engagement with community leadership across the FCT.

David commended traditional rulers, village heads, youth and women leaders and other stakeholders in Kuje and Abaji for their cooperation throughout the exercise.

He also expressed appreciation to the Yaba Chiefdom for its cooperation and participation during the exercise.

The Project Director said the completion of data collection in Kuje and Abaji marked another step towards the Assembly’s objective of capturing community leadership structures across the six area councils.

He linked the exercise to the Assembly’s proposed Trusted Foundation for People-Centred Planning and Development (TFPCPD), under the Abuja Original Inhabitant Communities Development Policy and Integration Framework (AOICDPIF).

David said the framework was intended to provide a structured basis for integrating reliable grassroots information into planning and development initiatives involving Abuja Original Inhabitant communities.

He added that the Assembly would continue its engagement with communities as it works towards completing its wider grassroots data-collection mandate across the FCT.

“Now that Kuje and Abaji have been completed, we move forward stronger in our mission to strengthen peace, foster unity and build a trusted foundation for people-centred planning and development,” he said.