Right of Original Inhabitants of FCT
CHRICED used Foundation funds to implement an evidence-based project of Promoting the Political, Economic and Cultural Rights of Original Inhabitants of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. The aim of the project is to strengthen the technical programmatic and financial capacity of Original Inhabitant organizations in the FCT to make them resilient, and enable them create a sustainable citizen led framework to advocate for the promotion and protection of their rights and interests. The project Addresses the decades-old marginalization, human rights Violations, economic deprivation and social emasculation and other forms of historic injustices suffered by the inhabitant people in the Federal Capital territory of Nigeria called Original Inhabitants (OIs) The program proposed complementary group mobilization and capacity strengthening to assist inhabitant peoples’ self-determination groups employ evidence based methodologies, targeted advocacies and timely information to influence key governance processes in order to address the historic Injustices meted against them since the relocation of the FCT.
CHRICED explore synergies and partnerships with other grantees and frontline organizations with similar mandates of advocating the cause of marginalized and vulnerable citizens lIke Action Aid Nigeria, Ford Foundation's Campaign Against sexual Epidemic (CASE) project and the Nigeria Youth Futures Fund.
This project address the issues that matter cost of Ols as determines from a preliminary conversations and network and lived experience knowledge of the FCT. The project will amplify the voices of OI organizations in the FCT-Abuja by building their capacities to influence key governance processes, particularly those relevant to the fulfillment of their political, economic and cultural rights. CHRICED works with diverse FCT original inhabitants' groups to develop the capacity for impactful programming strategic and targeted messaging in order to advocate for social justice, and accountability of government institutions. The program identify the primary barriers to effective group mobilization, advocacies and outreaches. It employs participatory processes to assist the marginalized inhabitant peoples of the FCT through their organizations to develop strategies for sustainable advocacies and campaigns that take these specific needs and interests into consideration.
To achieve the program objectives, CHRICED advanced the technical capacity of the original Inhabitant organizations in the FCT in areas of working with women, youth and persons with disabilities (PWD) to engage in broad civic engagements and community mobilization for the 2023 elections. Improving the quality and inclusiveness of inhabitant citizen voices in the FCT would set the stage for better responsiveness on the part of power holders and duty bearers. It is envisaged that norms and more responsive institutions could emerge and contribute measurably to upholding the rights of inhabitant people of the FCT, especially in the context of their displacement. land loss, gross human rights violations, lack of representation in elective and appointive positions. CHRICED also elicit action from duty bearers to address poor infrastructure in original inhabitants communities as well as other forms of deprivations suffered since the governments policy of relocation of the Nigerian capital from Lagos to Abuja.
