By Sarah NEGEDU
As countries readjust to the post-COVID-19 realities, Original Inhabitants of the FCT have been asked to utilise their cultures in boosting the economies of the vulnerable groups among them.
This was the position of speakers at the Graduation and Exhibition Ceremony for Original Inhabitants of FCT on Traditional Skills Transfer held in Abuja yesterday.
The president and founder of Helpline Foundation for the Needy, Dr. Jumai Ahmadu, in her welcome address noted that aside impacting on the economic well being of benefactors, the skills learnt in the traditional attire making program will also help in preserving the rich cultures of the FCT.
Dr. Ahmadu who was represented by the Project Officer of the Foundation, Mr. Arome Onoja, said a total of 300 vulnerable and marginalized women and youth are being trained in the traditional skill transfer program sponsored by MacArthur Foundation through Centre for Human Rights & Civic Education, CHRICED.
Briefing journalist shortly after the exhibition, the president added that, 70 participants have successfully graduated in the first phase of the program.
“We have engaged 300 vulnerable and marginalized women and youth in the traditional skill transfer program, part of whom shall be graduating today, the first batch. We are sure that this skill so far gained will not only revamp their cultures but will serve as a veritable means of livelihood.
“The CHRICED saw this as a challenge and beamed their search light into the quest for resuscitation and reviving of the cultures and legacies of the Original Inhabitants and how it can be sustained even in the midst of urban progress.”
Tagging the exhibition”Revamping The Culture Through Economic
Empowerment And Cultural Preservation”, Ahmadu thanked the MacArthur Foundation for their supports through such projects aimed at promoting the rights of the Original inhabitants of FCT including 9 other DIOs.
Also speaking, the Programs and Communications Manager, Resource Center for Human Rights and Civic Education, CHRICED, Mr. Armsfree Ajanaku, assured that CHRICED will push for more support for projects such as this, as there are many organisations willing to invest in artifacts from IOs.
In his words, “This project is known as equitable recovery, the MacArthur Foundation looked at the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the livelihoods and economies and asked itself who are the most affected by COVID-19? And so the Original Inhabitants of the FCT were identified as a vulnerable group whose marginalization within the scheme of things was made worse because of COVID-19 and so MacArthur Foundation through CHRICED decided to support groups like Helpline Foundation to be able to engage the original inhabitants in the FCT within the context of their culture, their economic and political rights.”
“This project is supporting 10 original inhabitants organisations within the FCT to promote their rights in various aspects like cultural rights, economic rights and political rights, but what you are seeing here today is the cultural rights of the Original Inhabitants. Their attires and other things that have gone into extinction. The people are trying to bring them back.
“This project is basically is a response to the effect of COVID-19 on vulnerable groups like the original inhabitants.”
Some of the coordinators while asking for more support in form of start up grants for the benefactors, also complained of availability of the fabrics before they woven into the ogodo and other indigenous attires that had before now gone into extinction.
