Abuja Original Inhabitants: Group Urges FG To Ratify ILO Convention On Indigenous People
Anayo Ezugwu
The Network of Journalists on Indigenous Issues (NEJII) has urged the Nigerian government to ratify the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention 169 on the rights of indigenous people.
The group, in a statement issued by its Coordinator, Adewale Adeoye, said August 9 every year has been set aside by the United Nations as the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.
It said the ratification of the convention will go a long way in addressing the challenges faced by Abuja Indigenous Inhabitants (AOI), whose political and economic rights have been denied for centuries.
The group asked the National Assembly to follow the footsteps of other countries that have ratified the convention.
It said: “Indigenous people in Nigeria face consistent challenges of social, cultural and economic marginalisation. This situation continues to fuel the crisis and a deep feeling of distrust among the original inhabitants.
“The ratification of the ILO Convention 169 will go a long way in removing historical barriers to justice and inclusion faced by Abuja Original Inhabitants.”
It noted that Abuja Original Inhabitants, with a population of over 2 million, continue to live largely in poverty, characterised by lack of access to the essentials of life, even as Abuja continues to flourish with private and government investments on indigenous territories often without adequate compensation to the Abuja Original Inhabitants (AOI).
The ILO Convention 169 seeks governments to respect the rights of indigenous people and their unique historical and “socio-economic position within the state and their integral connection to their territories, and protects them against displacement.”
NEJII said the National Assembly needs to ratify and domesticate the Convention in order to address the festering scars left on the heart of Abuja’s indigenous people since the creation of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in 1976.
It noted that land remains the most significant asset of Abuja’s indigenous people, most of whom have been taken over by the Federal Government with very little or no compensation.
The Convention has been ratified by 23 countries, with 15 of them in Latin America, like Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela
NEJII calls on the National Assembly to set a historic record to be the second country in Africa, after the Central African Republic, that ratify the Convention.
It said the ratification by Nigeria will lift benefits from the realm of tokens and cosmetic offerings to a fundamental and institutional approach in dealing with a long-standing problem of deprivation suffered by AOIs.
Nigeria joined the International Labour Organisation (ILO) on October 17, 1960 and has ratified many ILO Conventions, excluding C169, which affects the rights of indigenous peoples.
Described as the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989, the C169 is crucial to the self-esteem, spiritual and physical well-being of indigenous peoples.
Citing the United Nations, NEJII said the Convention is a “key international treaty focused on the rights of indigenous and tribal peoples according to the International Labour Organisation.
“It’s the only legally binding international instrument specifically addressing the rights of these populations.
“The convention emphasises the importance of respecting the cultures and ways of life of indigenous peoples, recognising their rights to land, natural resources, and self-determined development.
“It also mandates consultation and participation of indigenous peoples in decisions that affect them.”
The UN estimates that some 476 million Indigenous people reside in 90 countries, including Nigeria. Among the 476 million Nigeria, including AOIs are 5,000 different cultures.
