Photos: Abuja residents protest non-inclusion in Ministerial list

Gbagyi community members in the Federal Capital Territory Abuja yesterday staged a peaceful protest in front of the National Assembly expressing their disappointment at the non inclusion of an Abuja indigine in the ministerial list. Dressed in their traditional attire, the protesters called on President Buhari to have a rethink and include them in government appointments.

"We are here to say we have been marginalized beyond what we can bear. We can not sit down and people come from all over the country to rule us as ministers. So we should have a minister like every other state. Also, we need a second tier government that will cater for the needs of the indigenes. Why we are here is because we don’t have our own House of Assembly. The National Assembly is our House of Assembly. It should not be. How can an Abaji resident reach Ask Rock Villa to complain. We should have a government that is closer to us, which is for the people and by the people. If our parents have endured this suffering for 39 years, we younger generation are saying no,” ” the leader of the group, Ezekiel Balatu, said