A Non- Governmental Organisation Centre for Transparency Advocacy says it will build the capacity of the original inhabitants of the FCT on Community Development Agreement to help address the issues of environmental degradation as well as ensure the protection of their cultural sites in the Territory.
The Executive Director of the organisation Miss Faith Nwadishi stated this in a town hall meeting to discuss the mining Community Development Agreement and the inauguration of the FCT original inhabitants, cultural Ambassadors, in Abuja.
Miss Nwadishi said that the Original inhabitants of the FCT have not only been made stateless by the acquired status of the FCT but have suffered huge deprivation due to the activities of mining companies.
She, therefore, stressed that the capacity building for the original inhabitants of the FCT as part of efforts by the organisation to ensure transparency in the community Development Agreement project between the host communities and the mining companies to further enhance their productivity and livelihood.
At the event, the chairman of Ambassadors of Original inhabitants of the FCT on their cultural rights Mr. Lazarus Nyaholo said the capacity building by the Centre for Transparency would equip them with knowledge and skills to enable them to address their challenges effectively.
“During heavy mining activities, we see that our people loose their houses, some even loose their lives, the aged and the children especially when there is a blast, no measure nobody cares, we do not have water. This capacity building is to equip our people to be knowledgeable so that we can have a collective effort to fight our cause.”
The Director Technical of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, NEITI, Mr Dieter Bassi, stressed the need for more measures to be put in place to strengthen Transparency and accountability in community Development project.
Mr Bassi called for more collaboration between host community and mining companies.
Reporting by Ebere Ukeje, editing by Daniel Adejo