“It Won’t Harm Northerners”: Omokri Speaks on Relocation of CBN Units, FAAN Headquarters to Lagos
- The CBN in an internal memo announced plans to transfer some of its departments to Lagos state, citing congestion at the headquarters in Abuja
- Similarly, the federal government announced the relocation of FAAN’s headquarters from Abuja to Lagos
- The two cases generated uproar especially among northerners, who have through some groups, expressed their aversion towards the development
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9-year-experience covering public journalism an governance matters
FCT, Abuja - Reno Omokri, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has said the relocation of key departments of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to Lagos state by the President Bola Tinubu-led administration “in no way harms Arewa politically or economically”.
Legit.ng reports that Arewa, as used by Omokri, is a Hausa word which means "The North".
Source: Facebook
Omokri supports relocation of CBN units, FAAN HQ
Omokri in a message on his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle on Wednesday, January 24, said the relocation of CBN units and FAAN headquarters to Lagos “is in Nigeria's economic interests”.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain asserted that if Nigeria fails to make pragmatic decisions, the country “will not be able to compete favourably in the world economy.”
His full post reads:
“Arewa people know I am indigenously yan kudu, but socially and mentally Dan Arewa. I will never deliberately go against the interest of Arewa. Therefore, let me say that moving specific departments of the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, to Lagos in no way harms Arewa politically or economically. It is in Nigeria's economic interests that this happens. Money that is made in Lagos does not stay in Lagos. It circulates from there to other states. Especially Northern states. VAT taxes and other sources of revenue collected from Lagos and shared with other states readily come to mind. Let us be our brother's keeper and make sacrifices for our unity.
“We can subjugate other institutions to politics, but not our economy and military. What should be of utmost concern to Nigeria, and especially Arewa, is how to end banditry and kidnapping, ensure that Northerners do not have to pay astronomically more for fuel than Southerners, end or at least arrest the desertification of the core North, reduce the alarming rate of out of school children, get Internally Displaced Persons safely back to their cities, towns and villages, and see to a federal character in the civil service.
“This policy of citing a limited number of federal agencies outside the political capital is not peculiar to Nigeria. South Africa does it. As does the United States and the United Kingdom. No wise nation can afford to concentrate all its vital institutions in one city. It is not pragmatic. What such an unwise policy means is that to decapitate that country, all you need to do is suffocate the capital. If, God forbid, some disaster occurs in Abuja, such as the Ibadan explosion, Nigeria should still be able to function.
“Aso Rock is still in Abuja. The National Assembly is unshakeably in the FCT. The Supreme Court dey kampe for the Three Arms Zone. As well as the Ministry of Defence.
“No state or city can compete with the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. However, if we fail to make pragmatic decisions, Nigeria will not be able to compete favourably in the world economy.”
What to read about FAAN:
- CBN, FAAN: Northern group kicks against relocation of key federal offices to Lagos
- Group reacts to relocation of FAAN HQ to Lagos, sends crucial message to Tinubu’s minister
- Shehu Sani speaks on who to blame as FG relocates FAAN headquarters to Lagos
Rumpus over relocation of CBN, FAAN offices
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the Northern Senators Forum's (NSF) decision to reject the planned relocation of the CBN and FAAN from Abuja to Lagos generated uproar across the country.
In a statement signed by Senator Suleiman Kawu Sumaila, the NSF alleged lopsidedness in allocating resources in the 2024 budget against the North.
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Source: Legit.ng
