By Hafsat Hayatudeen
A research and development organisation, HipCity Innovation Centre, has organised town hall meetings for the indigenous people of the FCT.
HipCity is working on the project: “Promoting the Rights of the Original Inhabitants of the FCT”, with support from the MacArthur Foundation through the Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED).
City & Crime reports that the meetings provided an avenue for stakeholders in the education, health and WASH sectors of the FCT to dialogue with the representatives of various communities in the area councils.
It also provided an avenue for the leaders to communicate their plans, programmes and activities to the natives.
The town hall meetings were held in Kuje, Gwagwalada, Kwali, Abaji and Bwari area councils.
HipCity said at the various meetings, the representatives got to hear directly from the people what their specific areas of needs were and how they wanted to be better served.
In the meeting in Abaji, residents of Gigbe community in Gawu Ward lamented over the dilapidated state of the Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC) in the area.
A resident, Usman Yakubu, said the PHC’s roof and ceiling were in bad shape, adding that the centre also lacked facilities to admit patients.
A health personnel at the centre, Aliyu Gambo, complained of lack of manpower, saying he was the only staff that attended to patients at the centre.
There were similar complaints in Kwali, Kuje, Gwagwalada and Bwari area councils and their representatives promised to look into their concerns, while pleading patience.