•FCT doesn’t belong to Hausa/Fulani – Indigenes
From Fred Itua, Abuja
The appointment of former Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, as minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) by President Bola Tinubu, has continued to generate mixed reactions.
While some FCT residents, especially original inhabitants and South South politicians have hailed Tinubu for Wike’s appointment, some religious and ethnic leaders are unhappy with the development.
The grouse of the religious leaders, it was learnt, was that Tinubu ignored what they described as “sensitive nature of Abuja” by appointing Wike, a southern minority Christian, to oversee the FCT.
But the original Abuja inhabitants have applauded the appointment, expressing happiness that the administration of the FCT, for once, has not been made the birthright of Hausa, Fulani or Muslims. On their part, politicians from the South South described Wike as the best choice for the development of Abuja, given his achievements as local government chairman and governor.
Since 1999, no southerner or Christian has been appointed as FCT minister as the position has been held by only by persons from the North West and North East.
The North West and the North East have produced three ministers apiece.
Those who had served as FCT ministers are Mohammed Musa Bello, Bala Abdulkadir Muhammed, Muhammad Adamu Mainasara Aliero, Aliyu Modibbo Umar, Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, Mohammed Abba Gana and Ibrahim Bunu. They were all Muslims. Jeremiah Useni, from Plateau State, was last Christian to serve as FCT Minister in the last 25 years.
Yunusa Yusuf, spokesperson for the Coalition of FCT Indigenous Groups, an association of the nine tribes in the FCT, told Daily Sun that the indigenes would lead a protest against northern elements opposed to Wike’s appointment.
He said since Abuja is for every Nigerian, there was nothing wrong in non-Muslims and southern Christians appointed to head the FCT.
“We’re waiting for any Hausa man or Muslim who will come out and protest. Was Abuja made for only Hausa and Muslims? Are southern Christians not Nigerians? What about the indigenes? Have we ever been appointed ministers before? The indigenes should be the ones to protest and not any other tribe or religion. If we’re not doing that, any other person lacks the right to do so.”
One of the Muslim leaders from the North East who spoke with Daily Sun said the appointment of Wike may encourage some people to get involved in immoral acts and that they were opposed to it.
He said Muslim leaders who served in the past promoted religious sanity of the FCT and wondered if Wike would sustain the same virtues.
But former Speaker of the Delta House of Assembly, Chief Monday Igbuya, lauded President Tinubu for appointing Wike as minister of FCT.
He said the appointment was justified going by Wike’s track records of achievements as governor.
Igbuya, chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) expressed confidence that Wike would live up to expectations in his duties as FCT minister.
Also, former chairman of Patani Local Government Council in Delta, Raymos Guanah, said Wike was among the best local government council chairmen in Rivers from 1999 to 2002 due to his exceptional performance as council chairman.
”With the level of infrastructure development by Wike in his eight years as governor of Rivers, he is well prepared to deal with the infrastructure needs of the FCT,” Guanah said.
Guanah congratulated Wike for the well deserved appointment, reminding him that much was expected of him in the capital city, especially in the fight against unapproved buildings and illegal settlements.