FCT Inhabitants Mourn Adogon Karu

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

The Original Inhabitants Development Association of Abuja (OIDA) and the Karu Gbagyi Development Association (KAGBADA) have announced the transition of the Adogon Karu, Chief Daudu Jezhi.
Jezhi was a revered community leader, an international businessman and the icon of the Gbagyi people across the FCT and beyond.
He died with a legacy of resistance, resilience, and unwavering commitment to the original inhabitants of the nation’s capital.
OIDA, in a press statement signed by its President, Danladi Jeji, described Chief Jezhi as a critical figure in the struggle to keep indigenous communities on their ancestral lands following the creation of the FCT in 1976.
He likened Jezhi to an oak of refuge, whose sacrifices would never be forgotten by the original inhabitants of the FCT.
“Chief Jezhi is one of those who played a critical role in insisting that FCT Original Inhabitants will not move out of the territory following the pronouncement of the new Federal Capital Territory in 1976 by General Murtala Muhammed.
“Using his training acquired during his professional education in London, United Kingdom, he insisted alongside other like minds that his beloved Karu and other neighbouring communities will not relocate out of the newly established Federal Capital as no one is more of a Nigerian citizen than another especially because it is the Federal Capital that met them on their ancestral lands, not otherwise” he stated.
Also, the Karu Gbagyi Development Association (KAGBADA) issued its own heartfelt tribute, mourning what it called “the great Iroko of Karu Chiefdom.”
The President of KAGBADA, Sumner Shagari Sambo, described the late chief as the custodian of the unadulterated history of Karu and a defender of the chiefdom.
“We have lost a father, a mentor, a shield for many, community defender, FCT mobiliser and international statesman.
“While you weren’t perfect, just like any one of us, Baba Salasi, you were a great man of unimpeachable character. When others chose the easiest route, you stood behind to build and fight for Karu till the end, to secure the community and its throne,” Sambo said.