Centre for Transparency Advocacy (CTA) says Community Development Agreements (CDAs) are necessary tools for promoting the cultural and economic rights of the Original inhabitant of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Executive Director of CTA, Ms Faith Nwadishi, stated this on Wednesday, in Abuja, at a Town Hall Meeting on “Mining CDAs and the inauguration of community cultural ambassadors for the FCT indigenes.”
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event was organised by CTA with the support of the MacArthur Foundation and Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED).
NAN also reports that part of the project by CTA is promoting cultural values and rights of Original Inhabitants (OIs) in Federal Capital Territory (FCT) through drama and art forms.
“CTA is implementing the project through well thought out activities that will enable existing inhabitant efforts to revamp dying cultural values, treasures and repositories.”
In her presentation, Nwadishi said that community development agreements were tools for development in any community.
She noted that the rights of the FCT indigenes most times under such agreements were breached.
“You have mining companies working around Abuja; we see community agreements signed by the people because they don’t understand it.
“A lot of the cultural sites in the FCT have either been destroyed because of mining, construction.
“What we are doing is to further promote the preservation of cultural rights and also ensuring that mining happening within these areas are done within the ambit of the law and respecting the people.”
Also speaking Secretary, Garki Traditional Council of Chief Mr Lazarus Nyaholo, appealed to government to come to their aid by addressing the issues which “have made us marginalised”.
Highlights of the event was the inauguration of cultural ambassadors and community theatre members for the indigenes of FCT.(NAN)
