The Nigerian Presidency has disclosed that despite widespread insinuations, the government of President Bola Tinubu has no plan to move the nation’s capital to Lagos from Abuja.
Mr. Bayo Onanuga who is the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, gave the clarification on Wednesday.
He explained that the recent controversy that had been sparked by moves by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, and Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, to relocate their departments from Abuja to Lagos had misrepresented the situation.
Onanuga said the movement of the FAAN to Lagos had nothing to do with moving the federal capital, adding that the conspiracy was fueled by ‘dishonest, ethnic and regional champions’
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“The movement of FAAN, a department of Aviation Ministry to Lagos, where it was based before former minister Hadi Sirika moved it to Abuja during the last administration, does not amount to moving the FCT to Lagos.
Meanwhile, the Chief Whip of the Senate, Ali Ndume says the relocation of some departments of the Central Bank of Nigeria and the headquarters of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) from Abuja to Lagos State was influenced by ‘political cartels’ within the government.
Mr Ndume, the senator representing Borno South, said the ‘political cartels’ are offering wrong advice to President Bola Tinubu to mislead him on implementing some policies.
Africa Today News, New York reports that this is the third time that a northern figure will be condemning the relocation of the two federal government agencies since it was made public.
Recall that the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) had earlier condemned the relocation of the offices, claiming that the decision was to further under-develop the northern part of the country