- Relocation of CBN, FAAN units to Lagos ‘ll boost ease of doing business – Stakeholders
- Real reasons President travelled to France
Cold political calculations and positioning for the 2027 presidential elections are behind recent protests against some decisions taken by President Bola Tinubu, investigations by The Point have revealed.
The northern political establishment has taken up arms against the administration of President Tinubu over the planned relocation to Lagos of some offices of the Central Bank of Nigeria and the headquarters of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria.
The Northern Senators Forum condemned the moves and called on the Federal Government to consider reversal of the relocated departments or ready to face legal actions.
The spokesperson of NSF, Suleiman Kawu, made the call in a statement, last week.
The senators also alleged lopsidedness in the distribution and allocation of resources in the N28.7 trillion 2024 budget against the North.
The 58 Northern senators, in a statement by Kawu, said, “As representatives of the people at the national level (Senate), we are committed to addressing the concerns and feelings of our constituents regarding certain decisions and policies put forth by the Federal Government – lopsidedness in the distribution and allocation of resources in the 2024 budget, relocation of some federal agencies from Abuja to Lagos.
“We understand the importance of fostering a harmonious relationship between the government and its citizens, and it is in this spirit that we are announcing our collective efforts to seek an amicable resolution to these pressing issues, within the confines of our constitution and existing laws.”
The CBN in an internal memo penultimate week announced plans to transfer some of its departments to Lagos on the ground that its headquarters in Abuja is congested with staff.
Similarly, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo also announced the relocation of the FAAN headquarters from Abuja to Lagos.
“Sources also stated that some politicians who are against the government action may be doing so out of personal concern as some of the candidates they secretly pushed into the CBN were largely affected.”
Kawu, a member of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, representing Kano South in the upper chamber, explained that the northerners are not satisfied with the relocation of the two Federal Government agencies to Lagos.
He said the forum’s members will discuss with the Federal Government, leadership of the Senate and other relevant stakeholders to ensure that the offices are returned to Abuja.
However, sources that are familiar with the thinking of the Northern establishment said that the fear that the Federal Government might move more headquarters out of Abuja if this is not fought vehemently informed the upheaval.
“The North is becoming suspicious that the administration was only using the partial relocation of CBN and the movement of FAAN headquarters to Lagos as a test case and that once that was accomplished, more departments and agencies might be moved.
“The North is not bothered about the veracity of the arguments pushed forward by the government’s spokesman Mr. Bayo Onanuga on this matter. He said that some agencies are already operating out of Abuja, like the one in Lokoja, Bayelsa, and the rest. The examples he gave further infuriated the question. The people of the North want Abuja to be seen as the capital of Nigeria in deed and words, not one glorified settlement with a few government presences,” our source stated.
Another source specified that there is the thinking that a Lagos cabal exists in the Presidency that is not happy with the relocation of the Federal Capital to Abuja, adding that those who nurse that belief are of the view that Tinubu would tactically degrade Abuja before the end of his first tenure and the 2027 general elections.
Sources also stated that some politicians who are against the government action may be doing so out of personal concern as some of the candidates they secretly pushed into the CBN were largely affected.
Another source added, “Since the tenure of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi as Central Bank governor, the CBN has not embarked on competitive recruitment drives. Most of the recruitment has been in the form of replacements and because of that, some politicians have taken the advantage to push their candidates into strategic departments of the CBN.
“The problem is that many of these people are not really adding value and most of them are only seen patrolling the streets of Abuja even during working hours without contributing anything to the works of the apex bank. Taking such persons to Lagos now would expose them, especially because many of them also parade certificates from some of the questionable universities in neighbouring West African countries.”
A senior banker, Oladimeji Isiaka, decried the stress and huge cost of moving between Lagos and Abuja by all the banks to attend meetings, training, clarifications, certifications and other demands of the CBN.
“If the CBN calls, the banks must answer at their own expense, but if the apex bank is in Lagos, it will be easier and a stone’s throw to attend. This will impact on the efficiency of the banks because of the location of the sector stakeholders in one place,” he said.
He also noted the same for the aviation industry, which he described as a very sensitive sector that requires all stakeholders to share and exchange information needed for smooth operations.
“Imagine in an emergency situation and someone in Lagos is telling you that they are calling Abuja or that the director of the section affected is in Kano on holiday. We need everything in one place for better efficiency, then spread others according to their comparative advantage in the country,” he further said.
For Pascal Alagha-Ere, a seafarer and onetime executive member of Nigerian Shippers Council, relocation is part of decentralising power, for equitable governance and development.
He commended the CBN and the Ministry of Aviation for the move, while urging others to speak out.
“The government should bring the Navy and Nigerian Ports Authority to the Niger Delta because we have water like Lagos too. I don’t see the reason the Ministry of Petroleum, NNPC and anything related to oil and gas should be in Abuja. You don’t play politics with your economy and that is why ours is in shambles now. We are not asking for the relocation of Aso Rock, National Assembly or Army headquarters, but those that should not be in Abuja and should not be used for politicking,” Alagha-Ere said.
The sailor decried that despite the water in Niger Delta, most seafarers from the region will come to Lagos for things that the NPA in Port Harcourt, Warri or Calabar could handle easily just because of centralisation of power.
“The relocation is good, it will boost ease of doing business, improve efficiency and productivity. But it must be sustained, it should not stop in Lagos alone, there are other parts of the country that need Federal Government presence too,” he concluded.
On the contrary, an Assistant Director at the Federal Civil Service Abuja, Kobe Ibrahim, noted that with the relocation of one ministry or one department, there would be agitations for more to be relocated and that may defeat the purpose of the relocation.
“For me, there are many ministries, departments and agencies that are not supposed to leave Lagos in the first place or even be in Lagos. We followed the colonial masters to locate everything in one place for easy administration. Though that may be a mistake, starting relocation now will result in the request for more to leave Abuja and this government will approve it. Abuja will be empty if that starts because many civil servants will want to leave to places where life is less expensive,” he said.
A former staff of the CBN, who is of the northern extraction, exposed more reasons Northern political elite are screaming foul.
The former staff who does not want his name in print, said that he worked in CBN for 34 years and retired as an executive director, blamed the acrimony and bickering on the elite northerners who for their selfish reasons do not want their children who are mostly affected by the movement from relocating to Lagos.
“I worked at the CBN for 34 years and retired as an executive director. So, I should know one or two things about what’s happening in that place.
“We, particularly Northerners among us, should be careful how we make comments. The Northern elders and elite that are insinuating this are not doing it because they love the North so much.
“They are doing this because of their children and families that are affected by the movement.
The former CBN staff blamed the embattled former CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, for populating the “lucrative department” with children of top northern political elite.
“That’s the fault of Emefiele. He employed mostly privileged children into the Central Bank. Their parents even dictated the departments where they must work unlike some of us that were posted to CBN offices nationwide not minding where we are from.
“Those departments moving to Lagos are some of the lucrative ones and their children have gone to report Central Bank Management to them since they don’t want to work anywhere apart from Abuja.
“They don’t even want to work in their own bandit-infested home towns. So, the Northern elders and all the people protesting are not doing it because they love the North.
“They are doing it because of their children. Example, I know Alhaji Yusuf (chairman of ACF) very well, I want to ask how many of his children did Emefiele employ?
“It’s only the sons and daughters and wives of chief of staff, Senators, key Reps members, ministers, key political actors, governors across the country and the parents insist that these children must work in Abuja despite the fact that the Abuja facilities are a disaster waiting to happen.
“The lifts are overcrowded, sewage is overflowing, and water is inadequate.”
According to him, “Most of the other Northerners, southerners employed that are not in the group mentioned above either bought the jobs for between “N5 and N10 million” through Emefiele’s cronies, who are now on the run for fraud or actually girlfriends of the bosses and other powerful people in society.
“My own daughter could not even serve NYSC in CBN, not to mention working there despite my sacrifices of 34 years. When I heard about the offer to buy job, I just said I would rather give that N5m or N10m to my daughter because I know how enterprising she is and there was nothing so big about working in CBN because the job is no more challenging and this children of big men are just roaming all over the place doing nothing. So this is the case,” he said.
At the weekend, Vice President Kashim Shettima faulted the position of those opposing the Federal Government’s decision to relocate some departments and units of the CBN and the FAAN from Abuja to Lagos, describing them as mischief makers.
“The relocation is good, it will boost ease of doing business, improve efficiency and productivity.”
Shettima, who spoke on Saturday as a Special Guest of Honour at the 10th Annual Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Lecture and Merit Awards in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, said the relocation was in the interest of Nigerians.
Speaking in Maiduguri, the Vice President said President Tinubu’s ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’ would not make any policy or decision to be sectional, or at the detriment of some geographical location of the country.
Represented by his Special Adviser on Political Matters, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, the Vice President said the late Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto of blessed memory lived a worthy life of emulation for the betterment of the North and the country as a whole.
“Recently, there were those opposing the Federal Government’s decision over the planned relocation of some departments and units of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) from Abuja to Lagos. I want to reassure the people of the North that the move is in the interest of the generality of Nigerians.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’ would not make any policy or decision that would be sectional, or at the detriment of some geographical location of the nation; therefore, those opposing the relocation process of some of the departments should desist, or else they are acting as mischief makers,” Shettima stated.
Real reasons Tinubu is in France
Contrary to widespread insinuations that the President travelled to Paris, France due to some health challenges, The Point gathered authoritatively the current Paris private visit of the President was designed for him to evaluate his Presidency and the performance of his ministers, so far.
President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday departed Abuja for Paris, France, for a private visit.
Sources said that he is likely to sack some ministers when he returns from Paris.
A reliable source confirmed that the President was not happy with the direction of his regime, especially on the economy and the severe burden Nigerians are experiencing.
The Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination and Head, Central Delivery and Coordination Unit, Hadiza Bala-Usman, said last week that the president will drop ministers who do not deliver on their mandates.
Speaking at the opening of the technical retreat for delivery desk officers of federal ministries on implementation of presidential priorities and ministerial deliverables in Uyo on Wednesday, Bala-Usman said the president was serious about delivering on his promise to make life better and easier for Nigerians.
While asking for the total commitment of delivery officers and directors of planning in ministries who were present at the retreat, she admonished them to get serious with their jobs, describing them as “engine rooms.”
“We must understand that the president is very serious about his promises and that ministers will be assessed, and ministers will be dropped if they don’t perform.
“You must understand that as ministerial delivery desk officers you are the engine room that will provide that feedback and constantly track ministerial progress and report challenges and bottle to the CDCU,” she stated.
The People’s Democratic Party and the Labour Party, on Wednesday, demanded an explanation as President Tinubu departed Abuja for France on what the Presidency described as a private visit.
The PDP Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Ibrahim Abdullahi, stated that the insecurity and the state of the nation’s economy made it the worst time for Tinubu to embark on a foreign trip.
This was as the spokesman for the LP 2023 Presidential Campaign Council, Yunusa Tanko, alleged that there was a hidden agenda for the trip and mentioned that the President was sick.
