A coalition of youth organisations known as FCT Mandates Restoration Group, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu, to assign the portfolio of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, to Zephaniah Jisalo.
Jisalo, whom they described as “illustrious indigene” is one of the ministerial nominees screened by the Senate and a former Chairman of the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC).
Zainab Marafa, the national coordinator of the group, made the appeal in a statement in Abuja on Monday.
Marafa commended Tinubu for nominating “a son of the soil” as one of the ministerial nominees, with a track record of outstanding performance and infrastructural transformation in AMAC.
According to her, assigning Jisalo the cabinet minister of the FCT will correct years of injustice and marginalisation of the natives of the FCT”.
“Successive administrations have marginalised and relegated the natives of the FCT to the background in political appointments, resource allocation, provision of social amenities and infrastructural development in rural communities.
“Our group is canvassing for the restoration of the destiny of the original ‘owners’ of FCT, Abuja.
“We have been cheated, margalised and pushed to the background for several years. We are making this appeal because we do not want to be violent, confrontational, and militant in pursuing our goal.
“We wholeheartedly support the renewed hope agenda of President Tinubu, who is determined to correct the ills of the previous administration.”
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Marafa stressed the need for the original natives of FCT to be given their rightful positions in the scheme of things in the capital city.
This, she said, would go a long way in preventing youths’ restlessness, agitation, confrontation, and militancy in the demand for their rights in the political space.
Jisalo is the first FCT indigene to be nominated as a minister since the return of democracy in 1999.
He worked with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from 1990 to 2002, before his election as chairman of AMAC in 2004, and was re-elected in 2007.
In 2011, Jisalo was elected as a member of the Federal House of Representatives to represent Abuja Municipal/Bwari Federal Constituency.
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