From Femi Mustapha, in Kaduna
The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has called on the Federal Government to immediately address the decades-long marginalization of the Indigenous people of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), including the creation of a state to reflect their identity and guarantee their constitutional rights.
Rising from its Board of Trustees (BOT) meeting held on Tuesday at its national secretariat in Kaduna, the Forum described the continued displacement and neglect of Abuja natives as a clear violation of justice and a stain on the conscience of the Nigerian state.
The Forum noted that nearly five decades after the 1976 decree establishing Abuja as the nation’s capital, the federal government has failed to honor the legal provisions requiring adequate compensation and relocation of the original inhabitants.
“Regrettably, the Indigenous people of the FCT have been forcefully driven away from their ancestral land and rendered landless and homeless through no fault of theirs,” the Forum stated.
The ACF stressed that no democratic government should allow such historical injustice to persist, warning that failure to redress the situation continues to fuel disenchantment and a growing sense of alienation among affected communities.
Beyond the Abuja matter, the Forum raised the alarm over what it described as systemic marginalization of Northern Nigeria, citing worsening insecurity, under-representation in federal appointments, and the increasing hostility faced by Northerners in some southern parts of the country.
While acknowledging the work of its earlier constituted committees on security, unity, and tax reform, the Forum lamented that the security situation in several northern states — including Plateau, Zamfara, Benue, Borno, and Niger — has continued to deteriorate.
It also condemned the maltreatment of Northerners living or doing business in the South, describing it as a betrayal of the region’s long-standing tradition of accommodating Nigerians from all backgrounds.
“The North has always kept its doors wide open in the spirit of brotherhood. Sadly, this gesture has not been reciprocated in several parts of the South where Northerners are increasingly subjected to discrimination, attacks, and dispossession,” the Forum said.
In a bid to safeguard regional interests, the ACF called for sweeping reforms in land ownership and control across the North, warning against a looming crisis of landlessness due to unchecked foreign acquisitions.
As the Forum prepares to mark its 25th anniversary, the BOT reiterated its commitment to the unity and development of Northern Nigeria within a just and equitable Nigerian federation.
It maintained that the North possesses the human and material resources to thrive in any fair competition and urged its political, traditional, and religious leaders to prioritize regional interest over partisan loyalty.
“The North remains too strategic to be ignored or subdued but this strength can only be sustained through unity and purposeful leadership,” the forum added.
