By Pius Awunah
The indigenous people of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) under the auspices of the Abuja Original Inhabitants Youth Empowerment Organisation (AOIYEO) have accused the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, for allegedly neglecting traditional rulers and indigenous stakeholders in the territory.
This just as the FCT indigenes have commended the minister for reintegrating and compensating its members.
The President of AOIYEO, Commandant Isaac David, expressed the grievance on behalf of the indigenes during a press briefing on Monday,January 5,2026.
David queried why Wike found time to visit traditional rulers across all the local government areas in Rivers State but failed to pay a single courtesy visit to traditional rulers in the FCT since assuming office.
He noted that since his appointment, Wike had failed to visit any royal palace in the FCT or hold meaningful consultations with community elders, youth leaders, or women’s groups across the six area councils.
David said, “These traditional stakeholders constitute the backbone of grassroots administration and sociocultural cohesion in the territory. These are the people whose guidance and support are crucial for governance and community development, yet the FCT minister seems to have completely ignored them.”
The AOIYEO president noted that such lack of engagement had bred resentment among Original Inhabitants (OIs) and residents who felt marginalised within their own ancestral lands.
He specifically questioned the minister’s decision to spend the recent festive season visiting traditional rulers in Rivers rather than engaging with the leadership in his current jurisdiction.
David said, “During the Christmas and New Year celebrations, while residents and traditional rulers in the six FCT area councils waited for his recognition or invitation, Wike was busy visiting other states. This neglect raises serious questions: “Does he see the people of the FCT as important only during election cycles?”
He criticised what he described as a “pattern of neglect and political expediency,” arguing that Wike’s sudden interest in traditional rulers outside the FCT appeared to be a politically motivated gesture.
“It seems the minister is only interested in the people when political calculations demand it. Since he has not valued the people of the FCT from the beginning of his administration, we must ask: will he genuinely care about them now just because an election is approaching?”,the president asked.
He expressed concern over the apparent disregard for the input of FCT traditional rulers in policy and developmentv decisions.
Despite that,the indigenes of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have commended the minister for the significant progress he has made in the reintegration and compensation of the Abuja indigenous communities.
An indigenous leader of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr. Simon Baba Yerima,who stated this while speaking with journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, December 7, 2026, said that the compensation for residents affected by recent development projects had been successfully concluded.
Yerima, who is also the secretary of the Kpadma community, revealed that affected residents, particularly those from the Kpadma community, had received compensation promptly, while resettlement sites had been identified and properly mapped.
“The exercise has been concluded. Compensation has been paid promptly, and the relocation sites for affected houses have been identified”,he said.
The leader explained that despite external pressures surrounding the process, the FCT minister demonstrated commitment by keeping his promises to host communities across the territory, including Jabi and other affected corridors.
On the long-standing demographic and marginalisation concerns of indigenous FCT residents, Yerima described the current administration as a turning point after decades of neglect.
He disclosed that before the current administration, nearly 95 per cent of indigenous communities were engaged in legal battles over land and recognition issues.
In response to the call for the upgrade of traditional institutions, the community leader urged the FCT administration to urgently review and upgrade traditional institutions across the territory, saying that no significant upgrades have taken place since the military era.
