The Socio Economic Research and Development Centre SERDEC has organised a town hall meeting to create awareness of Nigerians and Government institutions to the plight of the original inhabitants of Abuja, whose lands were donated for the building of federal capital Territory.
This is as the lack of knowledge and awareness regarding the injustice suffered by the Original inhabitants, created a paucity of initiatives to assist them in seeking redress and ensuring social and economic justice.
While declaring the Town hall meeting opened on Tuesday at Kuje , headquarters of Kuje Area council Abuja, the Executive Director of
Socioeconomic Development and Research Center Abdulkareem Tijani said, the town hall was necessitated by lack of awareness and information concerning the marginalisation and deprivation of the original inhabitants of Abuja in the socioeconomic transformation of the nation’s capital.
The Executive Director explained that the townhall meeting is one of the activities organised by the Socio Economic research and Development Centre in the implementation of the project on promoting the Rights of Original Inhabitants in the FCT which is supported by MacArthur Foundation through the Resource Centre for human Rights and Civic Education CHRICED
He said it has become pertinent to note that, despite the over four decades of marginalisation, decried the hardship faced by FCTOriginal Inhabitants in given their land for the Country to have a new capital city.
He said, although the have made sacrifices to give their ancestral lands for the country, the country has remained mum and failed to take actions to mitigate their plights.
However, he said SERDEC is aimed at improving access to employment and empowerment opportunities of Original Inhabitants in the Federal Capital Territory through series of initiatives and this town-hall meeting is part of activities targeted at bridging the gap between Original Inhabitants and information on Employment and Empowerment opportunities in the FCT.
” The town hall meeting will bring Stakeholders involved in Employment and Empowerment programs within the FCT to educate the original Inhabitants on ways to access their programs and how to further get information on any activity they are to roll out in the future.
“In addressing the challenge faced by the Original inhabitant youths in the FCT, SERDEC will subsequently be holding town-hall meetings at the various Area Councils across the FCT, organising consultations with stakeholders at various levels, press briefings, training of youth leaders in various communities on accessing empowerment schemes, collaborating with stakeholders in employment and empowerment schemes, implementing publicity campaign to increase awareness and to gain support and cooperation of key interest groups, production of draft code of standards amongst others”. He disclosed.
He assured that SERDEC is committed to continuing her efforts towards ensuring economic justice for the original inhabitants through promoting access to the right information on Employment and Empowerment opportunities in order to improve their livelihood.
He called on the original Inhabitant youths to take maximum advantage of this townhall meeting to build their capacity on access to employment and empowerment opportunities in the FCT.
The Executive Director hinted that some Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs including but not limited to Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria SMEDAN, Social Development Secretariat as well as the National Directorate of Employment would carry out advocacy on availability of their programs and how they can be accessed.
He said to this end , the Socio Economic Research and Development Centre, has launched a platform, ZOKWA, which its primary purpose is, to link Unemployed Original Inhabitant youths in the FCT to employment and empowerment opportunities.
“This platform is going to be introduced during the town-hall meetings and training workshops on how to navigate around it to boost opportunities for the original inhabitants of the FCT.