Senator Ndume said he dissuaded his daughter from quitting her job at the CBN.
By Rahman Tijani
The Chief Whip of the Senate, Ali Ndume, has restated his opposition to the relocation of a department in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the headquarters of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) from Abuja to Lagos.
In a statement on Thursday, the senator said his stance has not changed despite his support for and friendship with President Bola Tinubu.
Mr Ndume, the senator representing Borno South, recently faulted the relocation, claiming that the relocation was influenced by ‘political cartels’ within the government.
The Northern Senators Forum and the Arewa Consultative Forum also opposed the relocation. They advised the federal government to reverse the decision in the interest of the country.
The CBN in an internal memo in January announced plans to transfer one of its departments to Lagos for efficiency and to decongest the Abuja head office.
Similarly, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, also announced the relocation of the FAAN headquarters from Abuja to Lagos.
While initially opposing the relocations, Mr Ndume said President Tinubu risks losing the support of Northerners if the relocations succeed.
In response, many Nigerians criticised him for allegedly placing regional interests ahead of national interests. Others claimed that the senator was against the relocation of the CBN department because his daughter is an official of the central bank and the relocation policy will affect her.
Responding to the criticisms in a statement on Thursday, Mr Ndume confirmed that his daughter is an official of the CBN. He was, however, silent on whether the relocation policy affected her or not.
“They have also been questioning the fact that my daughter works at the CBN. They should check her records. She’s a Nigerian and she’s 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,” he said.
The senator called on the Governor of CBN, Yemi Cardoso, to focus on stabilising the monetary policy that will develop the country rather than dwelling on the relocation of a department to Lagos State.
“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.
“President Tinubu is my friend and he knows that I support him 100 per cent. He appreciates honest feedback and will not tolerate what these people around him who are becoming a political cartel are doing.
“I’ll continue to speak the truth and point out areas where corrections are needed. That’s my job as a senator. It is not personal at all.”
Mr Ndume, however, restated his opposition to the relocation of the CBN department and FAAN headquarters to Lagos State.
“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. 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’re ignorant and they don’t know what they’re saying.
“My two daughters are married to Yoruba men, one from Lagos State and the other from Kwara State. And I’ve 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 am a true Nigerian.”
Comments
Post a Comment