The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has voiced strong opposition to the planned relocation of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) headquarters and a unit of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to Lagos, describing it as a deliberate move to further underdevelop Northern Nigeria.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Professor Tukur Muhammad-Baba, the ACF expressed concern over the purported relocation, suggesting it was part of a pattern of actions against the interests of Northern Nigeria.
“The CBN recently announced the relocation of some of its key departments from Abuja to Lagos, understandably sparking a wave of anxiety and outcry from many Nigerians, especially Northerners who would be most adversely affected by the spontaneous exercise,” the statement read.
The ACF asserted that the decisions were not ordinary administrative actions but rather fitted into a disturbing pattern of actions that go against the interests of Northern Nigeria. The group questioned the motivation behind these decisions and emphasized that such moves contribute to the marginalization of the North.
The statement also highlighted other instances, such as the recent appointment of only 8 out of 40 directors in the Ministry of Aviation from the North, raising concerns about the overall approach to federal projects and initiatives that disproportionately affect Northern Nigeria.
“The vile propaganda was to discourage the investment of resources looking for oil up North. Sadly, such has also been the case with a number of other federal projects meant to be located anywhere in the North, such as dredging of rivers Niger and Benue (so that the North remains landlocked), Mambila Hydroelectric Dam (Kainji and Shiroro are dams too many to be up North!), grazing reserves for the development of the livestock sub-sector, to list but a few. For decades, certain powerful interests within the Federal Government, who seem scared of the North, have refused to allow the projects to be undertaken,” the statement continued.
The ACF called for a reconsideration of these decisions, urging a fair distribution of federal projects and initiatives that would promote equitable development across all regions of the country.
