By Patrick Osadebamwen
Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Administration, Tuesday inaugurated a 15-man ministerial committee on Kwali Chieftancy to consolidate the effort of government at ensuring a peaceful resolution on the matter and engender harmonious brotherhood in the Council.
Minister of State for the FCT, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide said this while inaugurating the committee in her office in Abuja even as she stressed that the FCT Administration has made concerted efforts towards resolving all issues raised on the Chieftaincy issue in the Council Akinjide who noted that the upgrading of the chieftaincy in the council had generated agitations from some communities and others in the territory maintained that the development “underscore the need to ensure peaceful co-existence, stability and progress in the various communities that make up the FCT”.
The Minister said the upgrading of the traditional stools to various classes was in line with sustaining the historical, cultural and traditional institution of the FCT which predates colonial era. Akinjide emphasized that the institutions are legally secured in the (Appointment and Deposition) Act N.7 of 1998. She maintained that the institution has played significant role in the peaceful co-existence of the Territory. The Minister tasked the committee to review all previous Reports of various committees on Chieftains in the FCT such as the Justice Amman Nasir’s Committee on the future administration of the FCT and others. According to Akinjide, “These institutions which are legally backed-up with the chiefs (Appointment and Deposition) Act No. 7 of 1998 have played significant roles in the peaceful co-existence and overall development of federal capital territory”
According to the minister, the committee is to further consolidate the efforts of government at ensuring a peaceful resolution of the Kwali chieftancy issue so as to foster peace, harmony and brotherhood in the area council. “I will advise the committee to carefully review all previous reports of various committees on chieftancy in the FCT such as the Justice Mamman Nasir committee on the Future Administration of the FCT, Dr. Yusuf Beita’s committee and Justice Abubakar Saddiq’s committee on operationalisation of chieftancy in FCT. In his remarks, chairman of the committee, Senator Philip Aduda, said, the committee is looking at two or three months to present its report.”We are looking at two or three months from now.
