‘We can’t have 2 capitals’: Ndume faults relocation of CBN offices to Lagos

The Chief Whip of the Senate, Ali Ndume, has condemned the planned relocation of some departments of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) from Abuja to Lagos State.

The CBN recently announced the relocation of some of its departments from Abuja to Lagos.

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 FAAN also announced the relocation of its headquarters from the nation’s capital to Lagos.

However, Ndume, while speaking on the development which has since been eliciting reactions from Nigerians, said the relocation of the departments from Abuja to Lagos will have political consequences.

READ ALSO: FAAN: Why we relocated headquarters from Abuja to Lagos

The senator said this in an interview with Channels Television on Tuesday, January 23, 2024.

Ndume, who represents Borno South Senatorial District in the Senate, added that President Bola Tinubu was misinformed by some individuals he described as “Lagos boys” to make wrong decisions.

He said: “All these Lagos boys who are thinking that Lagos is Nigeria are just misinforming and advising the president wrongly.

“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.

“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.”

Ndume added: “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 the South-South, you take NNPC to the 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.”

The Star