Ndume Oppose CBN, FAAN Relocation
The proposed plans of relocating certain departments of the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria from Abuja have been faulted by Senator Ali Ndume, representing Borno South Senatorial District.
He stated this while Speaking during an interview with Channels Television on Tuesday, noting that the president is being ill-advised by “Lagos boys” in the corridors of power.
According to the Senate’s Chief Whip, President Bola Tinubu is being misinformed by “political cartels” to make wrong decisions.
Ndume said, “All these Lagos boys who are thinking that Lagos is Nigeria are just misinforming and advising the President wrongly,” the senator said.
“Those political cartels that are in the corridors of power are trying to misinform the President and we will tell the President. The President will take action.
“They are not doing any favour to Mr President because this will have political consequences,” he added.
Some of the CBN departments targeted for relocation are the Banking Supervision, Other Financial Institutions Supervision, Consumer Protection Department, Payment System Management Department, and Financial Policy Regulations Department.
The PUNCH reported a source that the move of the apex bank is to decongest the apex bank’s head office located in the Federal Capital Territory.
FAAN also explained that the relocation will help to curb the waste of public resources and also prevent the rot of its abandoned Lagos building.
“The Minister (Festus Keyamo) has decided to stop this waste of public resources and rip-off on the public purse,” the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at FAAN, Obiageli Orah, said in a statement.
However, Ndume, stated that there will be political implications to the office’s move to Lagos.
He said, “We only have one Federal Capital and that is Abuja.
“The regulators of the financial institutions are supposed to be or are in Abuja. Do you want them to move back because you say Lagos is the commercial capital?
“This is one of the mistakes and I’m sure Mr President will reverse it because it doesn’t work. You can’t have two capitals.
“Is the CBN governor going to be operating from Lagos? Or do you now say that because the majority of our oil is extracted from South-South, you take NNPC to South-South?
“Or is it because Nigeria’s agriculture is more in the North, you take Ministry of Agric to anywhere in the North? It doesn’t work that way.”
“I’m very sure and confident that Mr. President will look at this situation because he is a nationalist and not just a Lagos man.”
