Tinubu Is Not Going To Make Lagos The Capital – Bayo Onanuga

The Presidency has dismissed allegations that the Tinubu administration intends to transfer Nigeria’s capital from Abuja to Lagos.

On Wednesday, January 24, Bayo Onanuga, who is a special advice to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, stated that the President has no plans to transfer the Federal Capital to Lagos.

In a statement posted on his X account, Onanuga claimed that individuals spreading rumours are dishonest ethnic and regional champions attempting to attract attention to themselves. He noted that those promoting the untruth campaign understand they are playing politics, albeit hazardous politics, by pitting the North against the South. According to him, Abuja is here to stay since it is legally protected.

His statement came following the recent relocation of FAAN, an Aviation Ministry department, to Lagos. Onanuga stated that many parastatals are not situated in Abuja due to their mandate, and that administrative decisions should not be politicised.

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“President Tinubu has no plan whatsoever to move the Federal Capital to Lagos. The rumour first surfaced during the campaign last year by opponents looking for all manners of weapons to stop him. We trashed it.

“Those peddling it anew are dishonest, ethnic and regional champions, trying to draw attention to themselves. Abuja has come to stay. It is backed by law.

“The movement of FAAN, a department of the Aviation Ministry to Lagos, where it was based before former minister Hadi Sirika moved it to Abuja during the last administration, does not amount to moving the FCT to Lagos. The administrative move should have attracted scant attention, as Lagos is the commercial capital and the hub of aviation business in Nigeria. FAAN should be nowhere else but near the industry it regulates. FAAN will still maintain some presence in Abuja, as it is not a wholesale movement.

“Similarly, the movement of some departments of the CBN to Lagos should not trigger any hoopla. The departments concerned, including the bank supervision department, are those dealing with commercial banks, all with headquarters in Lagos. A regulator ought to be close to the businesses it regulates.

“All those pushing this campaign of falsehood know they are playing politics, albeit a dangerous politics to pit the North against the South.

“There are many parastatals that are not based in Abuja depending on their mandate. NIMASA is in Lagos. So is NPA. National Inland Waterways Authority( NIWA) is in Lokoja, not Abuja. Will the people opposing the movement of FAAN and some CBN departments want those agencies to be in Abuja, where there is no single port and no maritime activity?

“Administrative decisions should not be politicized. Let it not look like whenever we are temporarily not at the helm of affairs, we create all manners of dangerous rumours to distract from the bigger picture and emasculate an administration led by a Southerner.

“Let’s stop the dirty politics. We can’t be playing politics with everything.”

A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.

Nnamdi Okoli