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The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has strongly opposed the proposed relocation of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) headquarters and certain departments of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from Abuja to Lagos. The ACF views this move as a deliberate strategy targeting the northern region.
Last week, an internal memo, signed by FAAN’s Managing Director Olubunmi Kuku and directed by Nigeria’s Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo, conveyed the decision to move the agency’s headquarters from Abuja to Lagos. FAAN cited the goal of curbing the waste of public resources and preventing the deterioration of its abandoned building in Lagos as reasons for the relocation.
Similarly, the CBN outlined a decongestion action plan aimed at optimizing its operational environment.
The ACF, however, interprets the CBN’s decision as part of a troubling pattern of antagonistic actions by certain federal government agencies against the interests of the northern region and other parts of the country. The forum believes that northerners will be adversely affected by these sudden measures.
In a statement by its national publicity secretary, Professor Muhammad Baba, the ACF highlighted a leaked letter from a contractor, avsatel, proposing the relocation of the project for refurbishing airport rescue and fire-fighting vehicles (ARFF) from Katsina to Lagos. The ACF sees this as another deliberate attempt to disadvantage the northern region by federal government agencies.
The forum has called on the federal government and the National Assembly to intervene, urging these agencies to reconsider their decisions and explore alternative means to address alleged office overcrowding. Additionally, it has warned against relocating the ARFF project from Katsina to Lagos, emphasizing that the original scope of work designates the northwest state as the project’s location.
