The Federal government has revealed its reasons for relocating the headquarters of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to Lagos State.
Bayo Onanuga, the special adviser on information and strategy to President Bola Tinubu, says it is because Lagos is the hub of the aviation business, hence the federal government’s decision.
On January 18, 2024, FAAN announced the relocation of its headquarters from Abuja to Lagos in response to a directive from Festus Keyamo, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development. The CBN made a similar announcement.
With dissatisfaction from various quarters, the Northern Senators Forum (NSF) announced that it would engage the executive, causing heated debates across the country.
Suleiman Sumaila, NSF’s spokesperson and senator representing Kano South, stated that the forum had received concerns from constituents about the federal government’s decisions regarding the agencies.
Ali Ndume, the Senate’s chief whip, also stated that relocating some CBN offices and the FAAN headquarters to Lagos would have political consequences.
Ndume claimed that “political cartels” are influencing Tinubu to make poor decisions.
Furthermore, some argue that the relocation of FAAN and CBN departments to Lagos was part of the government’s covert plan to make the state the federal capital of Nigeria.
Onanuga, who spoke in a statement on Wednesday, defended the federal government. He claimed that most commercial bank headquarters are located in Lagos, which is why the CBN’s offices have been relocated to the southwestern state.
Onanuga said:
“The movement of FAAN, an agency of the Aviation Ministry, to Lagos, where it was located before former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, moved it to Abuja during the last administration, does not amount to moving the Federal Capital to Lagos.”
“The administrative move should have ordinarily attracted scant attention, as Lagos is the commercial capital and the hub of aviation business in Nigeria. FAAN will still maintain some presence in Abuja. It is not a wholesale movement.
“Similarly, the movement of the Department of Banking Supervision of the CBN to Lagos should not trigger any discord within the polity. The department concerned deals with commercial banks, almost all of which have their headquarters in Lagos.
“All those pushing this campaign of falsehood and misinformation know they are merely playing politics, albeit a dangerous politics, to pit the North against the South.”
Onanuga said many parastatals are not based in Abuja depending on their mandate.
For instance, the headquarters of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), are in Lagos, he said.
He added:
“In the same vein, the headquarters of National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) is in Lokoja, while that of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), was commissioned by former President Muhammadu Buhari is in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.”
“It must be pointed out that these decisions are purely administrative and should not be politicized by people of goodwill and those who wish our country well.
“President Tinubu-led administration is working tirelessly to be just and equitable to every section of the country.”
In that vein, Onanuga called for caution “on the part of those whose stock in trade is to create all manner of dangerous rumours to distract every government from the noble objective of meeting the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians.”
He stated that Nigerians want nothing more than good governance that improves their lives and that rumour-mongering “is a pernicious disservice to this ultimate expectation of our people”.