Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, says there is no ill moving the headquarters of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), and some departments of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to Lagos for operational efficiency.
“I listened to Ali Ndume, I listened to the Northern Senators’ Forum, I listened to the Emir of Kano. You can see the preponderance of opinions. and then the majority opinion is that merit should be the driving criterion for decision-making in the country,” the governor said on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme.
“The main aviation hub is in Lagos and if the operation’s department is sent to Lagos to be able to manage aviation operations effectively, I have not seen any ill in it,” said the Chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Uzodimma also said the CBN is the bankers’ bank, supervising all the commercial banks in the country. He said merit should be the criterion and efficiency should be the name of the business.
“Therefore, if you move the operations department of FAAN to Lagos to supervise airlines, it makes economic sense,” the governor stressed, while he accused President Bola Tinubu’s opponents of sponsoring “campaign of calumny” against him over the policies of his administration.
Uzodimma noted that Tinubu has no plan to relocate the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) from Lagos to Abuja.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government on Sunday said the relocation of the headquarters of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), and some departments of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to Lagos will increase operational efficiency and reduce operating costs.
In a statement, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, dismissed claims that the relocation of some departments in the two agencies are political moves to marginalise a section of the country.
Senator Ali Ndume from Borno South as well as chieftains of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Northern Elders Forum ( NEF) and other northern groups had kicked against the moves by FAAN and the apex bank, insinuating that it was an attempt to marginalise the north.
However, the minister said, “It is not true that the relocation to Lagos of the Headquarters of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), and of certain departments of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), are political moves aimed at marginalizing a section of the country.
“These allegations are unfounded. Instead, these are pragmatic administrative steps to improve operational efficiency and reduce operating costs.
“I would like to urge all Nigerians to be especially mindful of all persons and groups at home and abroad, who specialize in making false and inciting claims on radio, TV and social media, as well as in peddling altered videos and images for viral dissemination.
“We must all stand together as one, against these forces that constantly seek to test and break the bonds that hold us.
“Nigeria belongs to all of us, and the work of building the Nigeria of our dreams is one that must be done by everyone, regardless of our religious faith or ethnic group or geopolitical zone.”
“The heartwarming exploits of our beloved Super Eagles at the ongoing African Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire are another case in point; a timely reminder that the things that bind us together as one are much deeper than the things that separate and divide us.
“Let us never forget what is truly possible: that instead of division and hatred, we can live and thrive in unity and hope, assured that, despite the temporary challenges and setbacks that we face from time to time, a glorious dawn is just around the corner,” he added.
