Nigeria has been asked to ratify the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) Convention 169 on the rights of indigenous people.
August 09 every year has been set aside by the United Nations as the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People, reports The Nation.
In a statement yesterday, the Network of Journalists on Indigenous Issues ((NEJII) said ratification of the convention will go a long away in addressing the challenges faced by Abuja Indigenous Inhabitants, (AOI) whose political and economic rights have been denied for decades.
Signed by NEJII’s Coordinator Adewale Adeoye, the group asked the National Assembly to follow the footsteps of other countries that have ratified the convention.
‘Indigenous people in Nigeria face consistent challenges of social, cultural and economic marginalisation. This situation continues to fuel crisis and a deep feeling of distrust among 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,’ NEJII said.
It noted that Abuja Original Inhabitants with a population of over two 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 without adequate compensation.
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 protect 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 indigenous people since the creation of the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT) in 1976.
It noted that land remains the most significant asset of Abuja indigenous people, most of which have been taken over by the federal government with very little or no compensation.
