The presidential aide was reacting after the news of the Central Bank of Nigeria to relocating its Department of
Banking Supervision to Lagos and the directive of the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development that
the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria(FAAN) relocating its head ofce back to Lagos.
Many Nigerians specically from the northern region have condemned the action, saying it’s an act to further impoverished
and underdeveloped the northern part of the country.Chief Whip of the Senate, Ali Ndume, in an interview, said the
relocation of the aforementioned government ofces would have political consequences to the president.
Onanuga in his statement, responded to the uproar by describing the critics as dishonest ethnic and regional champions, who are
simply trying to draw attention to themselves.
He said he believes that the movement of the agencies should not cause any disagreement within the country.
According to him, those pushing the campaign of falsehood and misinformation know they are playing politics, albeit dangerous
politics, to create division between the North and the South.
We have noticed how mischief-makers, bent on fueling needless ethnic mistrust, have deliberately misinterpreted the decision of
the Central Bank of Nigeria to relocate its Department of Banking Supervision to Lagos and the directive of the Ministry of Aviation
and Aerospace Development that the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria(FAAN) should relocate its head ofce back to Lagos.
We consider it necessary to inform Nigerians that there is no iota of truth in the interpretations given to the directives in some quarters
and the unfounded claims and rumours that President Bola Tinubu is planning to relocate the Federal Capital back to Lagos.
These rumours, which rst surfaced during the electioneering last year, was sponsored by political opponents looking for all manners
of weapons to prevent Asiwaju Tinubu from being elected as president by a section of the country.
Using the recent decision of the CBN and FAAN as pretext to start another round of toxic opposition, we want to state, unequivocally,
that those behind this sordid narrative are dishonest ethnic and regional champions, trying to draw attention to themselves.
The status of Abuja as the Federal Capital has come to stay. It is backed by law.
The movement of FAAN, an agency of 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.
