FCT Natives Condemn Exclusion From Northern Security Trust Fund Board, Demand Inclusion

Natives of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) under the auspices of Abuja Original Inhabitants Youths Empowerment Organisation (AOIYEO) has condemned the exclusion of FCT from the newly inaugurated Northern Security Trust Fund Board, describing the omission as an injustice against the indigenous people of Abuja and a slight on the administration of the FCT.

Speaking on behalf of FCT natives during a press briefing in Abuja on Thursday, the executive director of AOIYEO, Commandant Isaac David, said it was unacceptable that the FCT was omitted from the board despite serving as the political and administrative headquarters of the country and a critical component of Northern Nigeria.

The Northern Governors’ Forum recently inaugurated the Board of Trustees of the Northern Security Trust Fund as part of a regional strategy to tackle insecurity, with governors of the 19 northern states pledging ₦1 billion monthly to support security interventions across the region.

The Board of Trustees is co-chaired by former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Alhaji Mahmoud Yayale Ahmed, and former Chief of Defence Staff, General Martin Luther Agwai, with members drawn from states across the North, including retired military officers, former Inspectors-General of Police, security experts and senior public officials.

However, AOIYEO faulted the composition of the board, arguing that the complete omission of the FCT was discriminatory and failed to recognise the territory’s strategic role in the security and governance of Northern Nigeria.

David questioned why neighbouring Nasarawa and Niger states were represented while the FCT, which sits at the centre of the region and hosts the nation’s seat of power, was left out.

“Nasarawa and Niger are included, but the FCT that is supposed to be the centre of all of them is not there. Is the FCT not part of the North?” he asked.

He further argued that if governors of northern states were used as the basis for constituting the board, there was no justification for excluding the FCT, whose Minister performs functions equivalent to those of a state governor.

“Since the governors of the states were chosen to constitute the board members, the FCT is also like a state and it has a minister who is serving as the governor of the FCT. Why did they have to undermine the personality of the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, by not including him on the board?” David queried.

According to him, the omission amounts not only to the exclusion of the FCT but also a disregard for the office of the FCT Minister and the millions of residents and indigenous people of the territory.

The AOIYEO Executive Director described the development as part of a recurring pattern of marginalisation that FCT natives have endured over the years.

“We condemn this. We condemn this injustice,” he declared.

David alleged that the exclusion mirrors similar experiences encountered by FCT stakeholders in the National Assembly whenever issues affecting the territory are raised.

“They have been doing this over the years, especially in the National Assembly. Whenever we present memoranda, they kick against them,” he said.

He accused political leaders of embracing the FCT during election periods but excluding it from appointments, policy decisions and other benefits after elections.

“When election period comes, they say we are brothers, we are one. But after the election, when it comes to sharing positions and beneficiaries of the national cake, the FCT is no longer in the Middle Belt; they go in the North,” he said.

While acknowledging that the establishment of the Northern Security Trust Fund was a commendable initiative aimed at strengthening efforts to combat insecurity across the region, David insisted that the exclusion of the FCT undermines the objective of regional cooperation.

“From the beginning, it is a good initiative, but the exclusion of the FCT is completely unacceptable and should be corrected,” he stated.

He maintained that the FCT occupies a unique position in Nigeria as the nation’s capital and hosts virtually all major national security institutions, making it indispensable to any comprehensive regional security framework.

According to him, security challenges in the FCT have direct implications for neighbouring states and the entire country, making its exclusion from the trust fund’s governing structure difficult to justify.

David therefore called on the Northern Governors’ Forum to urgently review the composition of the Security Trust Fund Board to accommodate representatives of the FCT and ensure fairness, equity and inclusiveness.

He said such a step would not only address what he described as a long-standing injustice but also strengthen collaboration in tackling the complex security challenges confronting Northern Nigeria.

The AOIYEO executive director further urged political leaders to end what he termed the systematic exclusion of the FCT from regional decision-making processes, insisting that the indigenous people of Abuja deserve equal recognition in matters affecting the North.

The Board of Trustees of the Northern Security Trust Fund comprises distinguished personalities from Sokoto, Jigawa, Taraba, Borno, Plateau, Niger, Gombe, Kogi, Kano, Zamfara, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Bauchi, Kebbi, Adamawa, Katsina, Kwara, Benue and Yobe States, but has no representative from the Federal Capital Territory.

AOIYEO maintained that correcting the omission would demonstrate the Northern Governors’ commitment to justice, fairness and inclusive governance, while reinforcing the FCT’s role as an integral part of Northern Nigeria’s security and development architecture.