The Chief Executive Officer of BobFranc, a Real Estate and Property company, Bobal Mathew Francis has called on President Bola-Ahmed Tinubu to appoint an indigene of Abuja as the next Federal Capital Territory (FCT) minister.
Speaking to the media in Abuja, Bobal said it would amount to injustice for a non-indigene to be appointed as minister of FCT.
He stated that the All Progressives Congress (APC), during the 2023 presidential election, argued that the FCT was a state, citing Section 132 (1) (b) and (2) (b), with emphasis on “two-thirds of all the states in the federation and the FCT”.
“For fairness, justice and equity, the APC-led government of President Bola Tinubu should not deny the FCT of a ministerial slot, just as each of the 36 states gets at least one ministerial slot,” he said.
“This is in line with Section 318 of the 1999 Constitution on the federal character principle to promote national unity, foster national loyalty and give every citizen of Nigeria a sense of belonging.
“The APC-led administration should give a sense of belonging to the aboriginal people of Abuja and give a ministerial slot to an indigene of the FCT, just as each of the 36 states produces indigenes as members of the federal executive Council”, Bobal said.
In January 2018, the Court of Appeal in Abuja ruled that indigenous people of the FCT were entitled to ministerial slots as provided by the combined provisions of sections 147 (3), 299, 14 (3) & 42 of the 1999 Constitution.
The court also declared that the refusal to appoint an indigene of FCT as minister constituted a gross violation of the provisions of the constitution on fundamental human rights.
Bobal Mathew congratulated Zaphania Jisalo as the first Abuja indigene to be nominated for a ministerial position since the return of democracy.
”Zaphania, is a huge national asset and a blessing to our nation, if appointed as FCT minister, I know his ability and capacity, and he will definitely deliver, we were in the University of Jos, Plateau State together and we graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Education.
“I worked closely with him when he was elected chairman, Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) in 2004 as a result of his excellence, he was re-elected in 2007”, Bobal said.Bobal, therefore, urged the President to give Zaphania a chance to manage the ministry of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), given his strong leadership abilities.
