CBN, FAAN relocation: All these Lagos boys that are thinking that Lagos is Nigeria are just misinforming the President – Ali Ndume

Senator Ali Ndume, Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Army, has cautioned President Bola Tinubu about potential political repercussions if he proceeds with relocating some Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) departments to Lagos.

Ndume, speaking on Channels TV, suggests that the president is influenced by a group he calls the “Lagos Boys,” warning that they lack an understanding of Nigeria’s workings and won’t provide support when consequences arise. He argues that if relocation is necessary due to congestion, proximity to Abuja in states like Nasarawa, Kaduna, or Kogi would be more suitable than distant Lagos.

He said; “Some of them think that they know better than everybody. But they dont know anything. When you dont know Nigeria, you only know Lagos, then you start doing things as if Nigeria is Lagos. Lagos is in Nigeria. Thats a wrong decision. We will not accept it. Besides, you know, they are not doing any favour to Mr. President, because this will have political consequence. Yes. Im telling you this.And these guys who are just sitting down there, trying to hang on to Mr. President will not be there to amend the political mistakes or even to correct it because they dont know anybody. They only know their offices. And they only know that they have brains, he said. 

“All these Lagos boys that are thinking that Lagos is Nigeria are just misinforming or advising the president wrongly.

“The regulators or the financial institutions are supposed to be in Abuja. Now, you want them to move because you say Lagos is the commercial capital. This is one of the mistakes. And Im sure the president will reverse it, because it doesnt work. You cant have two capitals or is the CBN governor going to be operating from Lagos and headquarters of the CBN is in Lagos?Do you say that because majority of our oil is extracted from South-south, you take the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) to the South-south or because Nigerias agricultural produce are more in the north, you take the Ministry of Agriculture to anywhere in the north.It doesnt work that way. And that is one of the problems that is cropping up, but Im very sure, Im very confident that Mr. president will look at this because hes a nationalist, not just a Lagos man

“This is a decision that is not well thought out. And I think the president will reverse it. Im confident that. And if that does not happen, of course, this is democracy and we know what to do. CBN has offices that they can rent or build on their own to increase efficiency, but moving some departments to Lagos is not the best of ideas at all or moving any agency at all he added