TheCable

Ali Ndume, chief whip of the senate, says his views on the relocation of the headquarters of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and some offices of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to Lagos should not be tarred with an ethnic brush. 

Recently, CBN announced the relocation of some of its departments from Abuja to Lagos. Similarly, FAAN announced the relocation of its headquarters from Abuja to Lagos.

The Borno south senator had said there would be political consequences for President Bola Tinubu in 2027 if the planned relocations were implemented.

His remarks had earned him plenty of vitriol, with some social media users labelling the senator as clannish.

In a statement on Thursday, Ndume said since his intervention on the subject, some unnamed persons have launched ceaseless attacks on him.

In response to some of the backlash, Ndume said his daughter works at the CBN but that he spoke the truth about moving some of the apex bank offices to Lagos.

The chief whip said if the apex bank is considering decongestion, it should not choose the south-western state that is already over-populated, adding that the CBN should be focused on stabilising the naira.

“I stand by what I have said about the relocation of FAAN and some departments of the CBN to Lagos state. If it is about decongestion, Lagos is not the right place,” he said.

“There are CBN offices in all the states of the Federation. Why move the departments to Lagos that is already populated?

“Since my intervention, people have been using a particular newspaper to attack me and saying that I hate the Yorubas. They are ignorant and they don’t know what they are saying.

“My two daughters are married to Yoruba men, one from Lagos state and the other from Kwara state. And I have five grandchildren who are Yoruba. How can I hate them and allow my daughters to marry them?

“Those saying I hate the Yorubas, how many of their sons and daughters are married to Hausas or northerners? I’m a true Nigerian.

“They have also been questioning the fact that my daughter works at the CBN. They should check her records. She is a Nigerian and she is qualified to work anywhere, including the CBN.

“I have been the one pleading with her to remain there. She is almost done with her PhD and she wants to go to the classroom as a lecturer. She is a brilliant lady.

“Instead of these attacks on my person, the CBN should do its job and address the rising inflation and stabilising our exchange rates. They should leave me alone.”

The senator added that he would continue to speak the truth on issues of national concern.