Okechukwu Isiguzoro, a chieftain of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, has lambasted Northern leaders for kicking against the relocation of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, and some units of the Central Bank of Nigeria , CBN, from Abuja to Lagos.
The Federal Government’s move to relocate the two agencies to the commercial hub of the nation has been generating controversy.
Some Northern lawmakers, as well as groups such as the Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, Northern Elders Forum, NEF, Coalition of Northern Groups, CNG, had in separate outings, condemned the move, alleging that it was a plot to under-develop the region.
Speaking on the matter, Isiguzoro wondered why northerners were silent when the former President, Mohammadu Buhari, relocated the military headquarters to Borno State in 2015.
“It is an act of sheer wickedness and a display of unpatriotic behavior for Northern leaders to either feign ignorance or turn a blind eye to these historical facts and evidence, specifically when their own, former President Buhari, moved the military headquarters from Abuja to Maiduguri during his inaugural speech on May 29, 2015.
“Arewa Consultative Forum, Northern Elders, and Senators from the North should recognize that President Tinubu is emulating the footsteps of Former President Buhari, who relocated the military headquarters to Maiduguri from Abuja. This marks the initial step towards the necessary restructuring of Nigeria,” he said.
In a chat with newsmen, Isiguzoro, however, asked President Bola Tinubu to “consider the economic importance and national security implications and approve the relocation of important Federal Ministries, including Petroleum, Trade and Investment, Commerce and Industry, and Transportation, to the old Eastern region, covering the 11 states of the Southeast and the Niger Delta”.
The Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum are expected to meet on Monday (today) to take a stance on the matter.
