DETAILS have emerged as to why the Northern political establishment has taken up arms against the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over the planned relocation to Lagos of some offices of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the headquarters of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
Several sources who are familiar with the thinking of the Northern establishment confirmed to the Sunday Tribune that the fear that the administration might move more headquarters out of Abuja if this is not fought vehemently informed the uproar.
A source said that the North is becoming suspicious that the administration was only using the partial relocation of CBN and the movement of FAAN headquarters to Lagos as a test case and that once that was accomplished, more departments and agencies might be moved.
“The North is not bothered about the veracity of the arguments pushed forward by the government’s spokesman Mr. Bayo Onanuga on this matter. He claimed that some agencies are already operating out of Abuja, like the one in Lokoja, Bayelsa, and the rest. The examples he gave further infuriate the question. The people of the North want Abuja to be seen as the capital of Nigeria in deed and words, not one glorified settlement with a few government presence,” the source stated, adding that by the definition of Federal Capital, FCT should house all government agencies for ease of governance.
Another source stated that there is the thinking that a Lagos cabal exists in the government that is not happy with the relocation of the Federal Capital to Abuja, adding that those who nurse that belief are of the view that Tinubu would tactically degrade Abuja before the end of his tenure.
Sources also stated that some politicians who are against the government action may be doing so out of personal concern as some of the candidates they secretly pushed into the CBN were largely affected.
Another source added: “Since the tenure of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi as Central Bank governor, the CBN has not embarked on competitive recruitment drives. Most of the recruitment has been in the form of replacements and because of that, some politicians have taken advantage to push their candidates into strategic departments of the CBN.
“The problem is that many of these people are not really adding value and most of them are only seen patrolling the streets of Abuja even during working hours without contributing anything to the works of the apex bank. Taking such persons to Lagos now would expose them, especially because many of them also parade certificates from some of the questionable universities in neighboring West African countries.”
It was also learnt that the fact most of the junior-level workers who have been pushed into the service of FAAN, following the relocation by former Minister Hadi Sirika, may become redundant is also a factor propelling the rejection of the relocation by Northern elders.
This according to the source was informed by the fact federal regulations allow organizations to employ persons on Levels one to six in the civil service from the immediate community where the organization operates.
“Many big men who have pushed their favorites into the services of FAAN in Abuja as drivers and other junior-level workers are worried that these people might become surplus to requirement. That is one of the issues,” another source explained.