Ndume accuses ‘Lagos Boys’ of misleading Tinubu to relocate FAAN, CBN depts

Bayo Wahab 12:23 - 24 January 2024

Chief Whip of Senate, Sen. Ali Ndume [Tribune Online]

Ndume believes the planned relocation of the departments is akin to having another federal capital besides Abuja.

Ali Ndume, the Senator representing Borno South Senatorial District, has described the planned relocation of certain departments of the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria from Abuja to Lagos as a wrong decision.

The lawmaker said some “Lagos Boys” in the corridor of power are misinforming and misleading President Bola Tinubu.

Speaking during an interview with Channels Television on Tuesday, January 23, 2024, Ndume said the president’s decision to relocate the CBN and FAAN departments to Lagos would have political consequences.

“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 my President because this will have political consequences,” Ndume said.

He maintained that the planned relocation of the departments is akin to having another federal capital besides Abuja.

“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,” the senator said.

While questioning the president’s decision, Ndume hoped Tinubu would reverse the decision, saying the president is a nationalist, not a Lagos man.

“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.” the lawmaker added.

The plan to move CBN departments to Lagos is reportedly meant to decongest its head office in the Federal Capital Territory.

In a statement issued recently, FAAN explained that the relocation would help to curb the waste of public resources and also prevent the rot of its abandoned Lagos building.