CBN AND ALI NDUME’S OUTBURST

For the purpose of operational efficiency, and perhaps for swiftness in service delivery and ultimately, increased productivity, the federal government recently announced the relocation of Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to Lagos, a strategic move meant for the Agency to be closer to Head Offices of Airlines they supervise, some of which are in Lagos.

The same goes for CBN authority that have ordered to move to Lagos, relevant departments that directly supervise the affairs of commercial banks, most of which Head Offices are also located in Lagos.

Ordinarily, in a decent clime and organized setting where key government policies go through crucible of decision making process, and as well as subject of proper deliberations, those relocated offices have no business in FCT, Abuja in the first place.

Their presence have been more of jamboree, a distraction, very unnecessary and largely a waste of the nation’s hard-earned resources, as well as drain on the nation treasury.

The government pronouncement of relocation is therefore a move expected to attract applause and commendation from all and sundry, particularly the business entities directly concerned, for the decision’s potential cost-savings measures, as well as administrative convenience.   

It’s also instructive to note that in this very difficult and horrendous times in global politics when terrorists, bandits, insurgents and other sophisticated criminals unleash their dastard attacks at will, without inkling of prior notice and in the process reduce to rubble iconic institutions, and public heritage that had taken fortunes to build, is it not germane for the government to even commence decentralization of location of legacy building from FCT, Abuja to strategic state capitals like Enugu, Ibadan, Kano, Kaduna, etc?

Nigeria would lose absolutely nothing if we resolve to tread this path.

This is the existing practice in United States where Washington DC has taken off some burden of accommodating public buildings from New York City. The same presently plays out in Brazil where Rio-De-Janeiro and Brasilia are collaborating in accommodating public Institutions. Ditto for Germany, where Berlin is reducing the burden of accommodating public Institutions from Bonn, the federal capital. And, of course, the situation is not different in France, where highly congested Paris is shedding loads of public institutions location to Marseille.

So why should Nigeria system be problematic and contentious? While government is continually making spirited efforts to reposition and restructure the country in all facets, some Nigerians sadly, and most embarrassingly, at the top echelon have individually, and jointly resolved to constitute a cog in the wheel of the country’s quest to prosperity, growth and development. They continually lay ambush to attack all the good intentions and sincere policies of government.

Painfully, they operate under the guise of religion, ethnicity, political and other primordial sentiments with which they hypnotize and hoodwink the unsuspecting and uninformed Nigerians with the sole objective of attracting undue sympathy. This is the only plausible realm we could situate Senator Ali Ndume outburst, who mischievously marched few of his national assembly northern member colleagues to undisclosed location within FCT, Abuja to start raining attacks on President Bola Tinubu for the resolve of federal authority to relocate FAAN to Lagos, as well as some key CBN departments that oversees the affairs of the commercial banks. And what consequence is Ndume talking about?? What’s the president offence? Where has the president erred? These are the questions Nigerians should ask Ali Ndume and his ilk.

Kola Amzat (FCA, FCIB),

Lagos