AmanaOnline

24/1/24

WHY CBN, FAAN, FIRS OR THEIR DEPARTMENTS CANNOT RELOCATE TO LAGOS WITHOUT CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.

‘Nigeria Needs Leaders Who Can Unite and Develop the Nation. Not Those Who Develop Themselves and Their Regions at the Expense of Others’

The relocation plans of the central bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the federal airports authority of Nigeria (FAAN) from the federal capital territory (FCT) Abuja to Lagos, one of the 36 states of the federation cannot proceed without amending sections 297(1) and 298 of the constitution, federal republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).

The relevant Section 297 (1) is clear, explicit and unambiguous that;

‘There shall be a Federal Capital Territory, Abuja the boundaries of which are as defined in Part II of the First Schedule to this Constitution’

To reinforce section 297(1), section 298 further cements the centrality of the FCT as the hub of all key government activities. This section reads:

‘The Federal Capital Territory, Abuja shall be the Capital of the Federation and seat of the Government of the Federation’

The two sections made it sacrosanct that key government institutions including, of course the CBN, FIRS and FAAN, shall be domiciled within the federal capital territory, Abuja for proximity, connectivity and seamless networking. In this regard, the 1999 constitution has to be amended or suspended for any relocation out of Abuja by any ministry, department or agency (MDA) to be backed by the law.

To be totally honest, the relocation is needless and at best, a distraction. It could have political repercussions on the Tinubu administration though if not reversed. Moreover, the cost of the planned relocation is better imagined and could be so huge that it will stretch the lean resources of the federal government. Relocation is not Nigeria’s problem today. Our problem is insecurity and rising cost of everything.

Lagos should maintain its status as the commercial hub while government business should continue to run from Abuja. That’s the way to go.

Combining international commerce with activities of the federal government all in Lagos will certainly be counterproductive. It doesn’t help anybody, not even the proponents of the relocation.

A federal capital is not only the seat of government but a central area where the business of governance is conducted in a coordinated and collaborative manner. The need for seamless connectivity between the agencies of government, underscores the necessity of having key government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) all in the FCT and closer to one another so that government business doesn’t suffer. It simply makes no sense that department A of the CBN is in Abuja while department B is in Lagos and staff of department B have to fly in and out of Abuja every now and then for a meeting with department B. This is going to be an extra burden on the nation’s scarce resources and will hamper efficiency and effectiveness of governance. If there is any need for expansion to respond to congestion, the CBN should be able to utilise its old building in Garki, Abuja and/or erect new buildings within the FCT or nearby Nasarawa state. The CBN is already building more housing estates for its staff in Abuja. Why can’t the same CBN build more office accommodation for its staff in Abuja? Why do they have to move to Lagos when there is enough land in Abuja?

For the federal airports authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the planned relocation is pointless as Abuja is gradually taking over from Lagos as the hub of aviation activities in Nigeria. Abuja is home to daily passenger flights from the African continent and beyond so it is in order that FAAN should have its headquarters and all departments in Abuja because FAAN needs other MDAs to function effectively. No MDA is an island unto itself hence the need for all MDAs to have their central point of activity and headquarters in the FCT, Abuja.

There are reports that the federal inland revenue service (FIRS) is also plotting relocation to Lagos to join the bandwagon which ignites the question ‘how many MDAs will follow in due course?

It is actually not by coincidence that the late head of state General Murtala Ramat Mohammed created and conceived the idea of a federal capital territory FCT (to be located in Abuja) in 1976 which led to the promulgation of decree No. 6 of 4th February 1976 that officially moved Nigeria’s capital from Lagos to Abuja. Lagos was getting too tight, almost breathlessly congested and choked up for government business with little or no room for expansion as the mega city is sandwiched by water from most of its boundaries. Las Gidi’s clear lack of space for expansion and paucity of advantages in terms of geography, politics and even history prompted the selection of Abuja as the FCT by the Murtala/Obasanjo regime. In this regard, one would have thought that if the CBN wants to respond to congestion, expand and provide office accommodation to its 1242 staff, it would have thought of doing so by erecting more structures in the FCT with Abuja’s vast land mass rather than relocate to Lagos with very little or no room for expansion. The CBN could also have thought of moving towards the surrounding Nasarawa state if the purported expansion must happen.

PERCEIVED POLITICAL, ETHNIC & REGIONAL UNDERTONES.
Tongues wagged when the apex bank and FAAN made public, their plans to move some departments to Lagos thought to be in preparation for a full blown relocation of their entire operational structure. Indeed, other ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) may follow the relocation frenzy in due course.

This somewhat ‘goal against the run of play’ by the Tinubu administration has raised dust, generated needless controversies and condemnations from far and wide with some concerned citizens citing a bigger ethnic and regional agenda to the purported relocation. One could easily smell that the planned relocation could be a ‘dry run’ towards a wider agenda of a full blown regionalism or the so-called restructuring of the nation including resourceism (agitation for resource control). By the way, regionalism could be a junior sister to secession especially when juxtaposed with the inherent divisions in Nigeria today.

The Northern senators forum (NSF), the Arewa consultative forum (ACF) and numerous other bodies particularly from the Northern side of the divide have voiced their concern over the needless relocation of some MDAs to Lagos. This response has spiked insinuations about the likely hood of President Tinubu falling out with the North and throwing away the political goodwill he hitherto enjoyed from the politically pivotal Northern Nigeria.
By this relocation move, the North and its leaders should understand that nobody will fix the current overwhelming insecurity in the region except themselves.

The relocation move is thought to be part of a wider agenda towards restructuring which may be fully unfolded in President Tinubu’s highly likely second term in office (2027-2031). There is the likelihood that the move could be a ‘dry run’ meant to test public perception on moving the entire federal capital to Lagos.
Be that as it may, there is really no need for any distractions (as represented by the move) for the government at this time when all hands are on deck to check the rise and rise of insecurity and very harsh economic atmosphere occasioned by the rushed removal of fuel subsidy and rather preemptive unification of the dual foreign exchange rate regime. To all intents and purposes, these two economic reforms especially the removal of fuel subsidy were carried out without due diligence and proper assessment of the likely economic impact on the already struggling average Nigerian and their families.
The federal government should focus its energy on alleviating the current excruciating poverty in the land rather than dissipating energy on needless relocation plans which will only lead to waste of resources and could be reversed by another government going forward.

THE SOLUTION
The solution is for the Northern senators forum (NSF) and other like- minds in the federal legislature to invoke section 298 and sponsor a bill to protect the status of the FCT, Abuja.
This bill should among other things, delegitimise all moves now or in the future, to relocate any key government agency to any part of the country including Lagos -the CBN, NNPC, FIRS inclusive.

Politicians in Nigeria must learn to disagree but eventually agree. Our politicians must learn to fix their disagreements so as not to give the military any chance to intervene and destroy our hard-earned democracy.