In response to recent speculations and controversies, the Presidency has categorically stated that President Bola Tinubu’s government has no intentions to relocate the nation’s capital from Abuja to Lagos. This clarification was provided by Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, during a press briefing yesterday.
The statement by Onanuga aimed to address the concerns and misunderstandings that arose in the wake of moves by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to relocate their departments from Abuja to Lagos. These actions had triggered controversy and led to misconceptions regarding a broader plan to shift the federal capital.
Onanuga explained that the relocation of the FAAN to Lagos had no bearing on the potential movement of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to Lagos. He underscored that the recent controversy was fueled by what he described as ‘dishonest, ethnic, and regional champions.’ According to him, the relocation of the FAAN department to Lagos was merely a return to its original location before it was moved to Abuja during the last administration under former minister Hadi Sirika.
“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,” clarified Onanuga, seeking to dispel any misconceptions and set the record straight on the government’s intentions regarding the capital’s location.
