Vice-President Kashim Shettima says those criticising the federal government’s decision to relocate the headquarters of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), and some offices of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), to Lagos are mischief makers.
On January 18, 2024, FAAN had announced the relocation of its headquarters from Abuja to Lagos following a directive by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo SAN. The CBN also announced the transfer of some units in charge of banking supervision to its new office in Lagos.
This move was greeted with dissatisfaction from some quarters, especially in the North. The Northern Senators Forum (NSF) said it would engage the executive as the move continues to elicit controversial debates nationwide. Borno South controversial Senator, Ali Ndume on his part threatened that the relocation of some offices of the CBN and headquarters of FAAN to Lagos would have political consequences.
Some northern groups also threatened protests, arguing that the relocation of FAAN and CBN’s departments to Lagos was part of surreptitious plots by the government to move the Federal Capital Territory back to Lagos.
However, Vice President Kashim Shettima, while speaking at the 10th Annual Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Lecture in Maiduguri, stated that the planned relocation is in the best interest of the nation.
The Vice President who was represented by Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, his special adviser on Political Matters, was quoted as saying, “recently, there were those opposing the federal government’s decision over planned relocation of some departments and units of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) from Abuja to Lagos, I want to reassure the people of the North that the move is for the interest of the generality of Nigerians.”
“Therefore, those opposing the relocation process of some of the departments should desist, or else they are acting as mischief makers,” he added.
The Vice President went on to say that the Tinubu-led administration would not implement any policy that would have a detrimental effect on any region of the country.