The federal government must restructure the administrative setting in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to alter its present status that is skewed against the original settlers of the territory.
This was one of the major campaign manifestoes of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) senatorial candidate for the FCT, Ambassador Esther John Audu on Monday when she formally flagged off her campaign.
The former AMAC chairman and two-time member of the House of Representatives while lamenting the plight of the indigenes of the Territory who she alleged had not been compensated enough promised to initiate a bill that would seek to restructure the FCT giving it the status of a state.
“We shall initiate a legislation that will seek to restructure the FCT making it either a State or Mayoralty so that when governorship elections are conducted in other states the FCT will also take.
“The bill will be such that will ensure that the FCT is restructured in manner that allows the Territory to have between 7-9 federal constituencies and three senatorial seats.
“This restructuring will be enough to accommodate the greater parts of the territory as a state thereby ensuring that the people are sufficiently compensated.
“We shall look at the Land Use Decree with a view to amending it to ensure that the indigenes of the FCT and various state capitals are sufficiently accommodated in the new structure as well as compensated”, she said.
According to her, pushing the indigenes of the FCT deep into the rural areas was criminal as it tends to paint a picture that they are not appreciated for donating their inheritance, which she said is not fixed, to the nation.
In an emotion-laden letter to the FCT residents, she assured that as part of her vision she would work with her colleagues in the senate to build an FCT that would envision the dreams of the people.
Accordingly, Ambassador Audu promised to bring up several bills which would address affordable housing, review of pension plan, free medical care for persons between the ages of 0-18 years, proper compensation to the relocated indigenes of the FCT and grants for students.
