Network of Journalists on Indigenous Issues, NEJII, has lamented the growing impact of climate change on Abuja's indigenous peoples, calling on the government to take proactive measures.
The media practitioners said that for years, the indigenous peoples of Koro, Nupe, Gwari, Ganagana, Ebira and Gade have been in distress over the fact that since Abuja became the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, they have suffered the loss of ancestral lands, decimation of forests and a decline in their quality of livelihood.
The FCT was created by the military in 1976 through Decree 6, which moved the Federal Capital from Lagos to Abuja.
They spoke at a workshop titled: '50 Years After Abuja: Climate Change and Livelihood of Abuja Original Inhabitants, AOI,' held in Lagos.
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Speaking during the event, Mr. Adewale Adeoye of NEJII said the neglect of Abuja Original Inhabitants remains a crucial issue that must be addressed for Nigeria to be truly democratic.
He said: "The air we breathe, the water we drink, the trees, the plants, the flowers, the animals, the streams, the mountains and the highlands, the plains and the lowlands, the entire ecosystem, are the pillars on which humanity derives its being and essence. The most precious resources that mankind has transformed into various products, such as aircraft, telephones, oil and gas, and solid and liquid minerals, all come from the environment in which we live.
"It is very important for journalists to pay attention to the environment and how it determines the success or peril of indigenous peoples. Of all peoples in the world, indigenous communities are often the greatest custodians of nature, which they have preserved and held in trust long before industrialisation and commercialisation."
Also speaking, Fabian Anawo of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria listed some of the challenges climate change has imposed on AOIs, including irregular rainfall and weather alterations, changes in day and night patterns, flooding, unusual rainfall and sunshine, extreme heat and humidity in areas where such was previously unheard of, the loss of trees that once served as windbreakers, massive destruction of homes and farmlands, and changes in the ecosystem as plant and animal species continue to diminish.
Meanwhile, the guest speaker and former Editor of The Punch Newspapers, now Digital Editor, Mr Olalekan Adetayo, in his paper titled: 'Abuja Original Inhabitants and the Task of Living with Climate Change,' said that for AOIs, climate change manifests in the flooding of rural settlements, loss of arable land, forest depletion, water scarcity, increased heat stress and a decline in biodiversity.
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According to him, the development of Abuja as Nigeria's capital under the FCT administration has expanded infrastructure, but often at ecological cost to indigenous territories.
He said the indigenous people face food security and livelihood challenges, as their lives revolve around subsistence farming, fishing, hunting, forest-based resources and indigenous energy systems such as firewood and biomass.
He said: "When agriculture fails, poverty increases, and when poverty increases, migration and displacement follow. When displacement occurs, identity and cultural continuity are threatened. Climate vulnerability is therefore not only environmental, it is economic and existential."
Adetayo added that climate stress contributes to farmer-herder tensions, resource competition and land disputes, which fuel youth restiveness. He noted that when resources shrink, conflicts expand.
He said: "AOIs often face marginalisation in policy decisions, limited political representation and weak participation in urban planning. Climate justice demands participation in decision-making, constitutional protections, inclusion in environmental policy and access to climate finance. Indigenous communities must not be treated as obstacles to development, but as partners in sustainable development."
He urged journalists to go beyond event reporting to investigate structural causes, humanise climate stories, track environmental governance, report data alongside lived experiences and spotlight indigenous voices. He added that climate reporting should not only cover disasters, but also resilience, adaptation and solutions.
