Senator Ali Ndume, the Chief Whip of the Senate, has vowed that if President Bola Tinubu fails to reverse the decision of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, to move its key departments from the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, to Lagos State, there will be some political consequences.
The senator representing Borno South remarked on Tuesday while featuring on Channels Television’s programme.
Sunrise reports that an internal memo circulated last week revealed how the apex bank directed the relocation of some units to Lagos in a bid to decongest the Abuja headquarters.
The development had triggered controversy as a cross-section of Nigerians, particularly Northerners, outrightly rejected the move, alleging that it was a plot to further underdevelop the Northern region.
Speaking on the matter, Ndume opined that the decision “was not well thought out,” saying he “is confident that the president is going to reverse it.”
He added: “And if that does not happen, of course, this is democracy; we know what to do.”
The lawmaker questioned why the apex bank did not consider relocating the departments to either Nasarawa, Kogi or Kaduna State, near the nation’s capital.
He said: “Why was the headquarters moved from Lagos to Abuja? Was it not because of the congestion there? I don’t even see any issues of congestion. There is going to be an increase in cost because they are going to be running from Lagos to Abuja, spending more money and even exposing our workers to unnecessary risks.
“Don’t try to bring tribalism into it. I’m not a Hausa man and I’m not a Fulani man but I’m a Northerner and a Nigerian. Those misleading the president are not doing him any good because this is going to have some political consequences. If Tinubu was not elected president, the CBN governor would not be there. It was not Lagos votes that put Tinubu there.”