Northern senators have rejected the planned relocation of some federal agencies from Abuja to Lagos just as they alleged lopsidedness in the distribution and allocation of resources in the N28.7 trillion 2024 budget against the North.
The senators made their feeling known yesterday in a statement issued by their spokesperson, Suleiman Kawu Sumaila, representing Kano South Senatorial District on the platform of the New Nigeria Political Party (NNPP).
Recall that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), in a recent internal memo, announced plans to transfer some of its departments to Lagos State, citing congestion at the headquarters in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Shortly after the CBN announcement, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, also ordered the relocation of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) headquarters from Abuja to Lagos.
But the lawmakers, under the aegis of Northern Senators’ Forum, kicked against the move and urged their constituents to remain patient, saying they would engage the executive in peaceful negotiations and deploy legal measures where necessary to address the issue.
The 58 Northern senators, in a statement by Sumaila, 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.
“We are assuring our constituents that we have taken their concerns seriously and are actively engaging with our colleagues in order to address these matters effectively. We firmly believe in the power of open dialogue and collaboration to bring about positive change for our nation.”
This is just as a group, Hope Arewa Development Initiative (HADI), has faulted Keyamo over alleged plans to relocate the establishment of fire and truck maintenance and refurbishment centre project from Katsina State.
HADI’s national coordinator, Adamu Mohammed, in a statement in Abuja, expressed dismay over what it termed “the ill-thought move and reckless action.”
The group was reacting to an alleged plot by AVSATEL Communications Limited, seeking the relocation of the Federal Government-awarded Establishment of Fire and Truck Maintenance and Refurbishment Centre project’s site outside of Katsina.
In an official correspondence to Keyamo, which was dated December 4, 2023, one Mag. Georg Eder, the Managing Director/CEO of AVSATEL Communications Limited, sought the Minister’s consent to relocate the centre project.
“The memo noted that having the project site either in Abuja or any part of the South is more ‘promising’. Though, the firm gave seven ‘good reasons’ why it is proposing a change in the project site from Katsina, it is apt to mention that the ‘grounds’ may not be tenable, to be brutally candid.
“The experts and aviation professionals, who may have been involved in the decision to site the project in Katsina (in the first place), were not ignorant of the drawbacks it could have posed thereafter, which AVSATEL Communications ‘extensively’ highlighted in its letter to Keyamo,” the group argued.
HOWEVER, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, while urging President Bola Tinubu to quickly end the security challenges in FCT, warned the President to be wary of ‘Northern conspiracy against his administration’, adding that Northerners are accusing him of deliberately promoting Yorubanisation and Lagoslisation of the polity through biased appointments in critical economic and security sectors that predominantly favour Yorubas of the Southwest.
In a statement in Abakaliki, the Secretary General of Chidi Ibeh-led faction of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, called on President Tinubu to promptly address the insecurity challenges in Abuja, which may be influenced by economic hardships and Northern tendencies, adding that Abuja residents and Nigerians at large are enduring significant hardships due to the removal of fuel subsidies.
The statement reads: “The subsidy removal has led to skyrocketing petroleum prices, escalating inflation rates, increased costs of goods and services, and exorbitant transportation fares.
“Ohanaeze Ndigbo has closely observed the disparaging statements and actions of prominent Northern leaders against President Tinubu. We express our deep concern over these occurrences and urgently call for measures to address the escalating security challenges in Abuja. President Tinubu must also remain vigilant in the face of a potential Northern conspiracy against his administration.
“President Tinubu must exercise utmost caution, particularly as the North is currently displaying ‘Red Lights.” The Federal Government should draw lessons from the Northern coalition that worked against former President Goodluck Jonathan, employing insecurity as a political weapon.”
A day after Arewa youths kicked against the relocation of the federal agencies, the Joint Action Committee of Northern Youths Associations (JACYA) yesterday called on the Federal Government to rescind its decision to relocate CBN offices and FAAN headquarters to Lagos. According to the members of JACYA, the decision, if not rescinded, would be resisted by the North.
At a press conference in Kaduna, the group, which is made up of several Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) vowed to embark on mass protest and legal action against the Federal Government over alleged attempt to marginalise the Northern region.
JACYA Convener, Murtala Abubakar, said: “We are here today to express our strong opposition and concern over the proposed relocation of five critical departments of the CBN, an institution that serves as the bedrock of our economic stability and financial governance, and the purported relocation of FAAN headquarters from the Federal Capital Territory to Lagos.”
Credit: The Guardian
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