….Requests The Relocation Of Petroleum, Commerce, And Other Ministries To The East & Niger Delta.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the esteemed voice of the Igbo, expresses its deep concern over the silence exhibited by the Northern Governors in response to the relentless media attacks orchestrated by certain Northern groups and political leaders. It is both surprising and disheartening to witness the Northern Governors Forum remaining silent in the face of these relentless campaigns aimed at denigrating the Federal Government’s commendable intentions to relocate certain offices to Lagos. This has led us to suspect that some Northern Governors may have surreptitiously provided financial backing to sociocultural bodies, political and opinion leaders such as the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG), and Northern Senators, to obstruct and oppose President Tinubu’s noble policies and intentions to relocate some departments of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to Lagos.
Unless the Northern Governors adopt the commendable stance displayed by Vice President Kashim Shettima, who openly condemned the Northern opposition to the relocation of the offices of FAAN and CBN, the confidential information alleging their support to resist the relocation will acquire credibility in the eyes of Ndigbo and Nigerians. We are compelled to believe that some Northern Governors are funding these leaders in pursuit of their pain and the selfish interests of a select few, rather than considering the welfare of the impoverished Northern populace. Ohanaeze Ndigbo vehemently reproaches Northern leaders for their silence when Former President Buhari relocated the military headquarters from Abuja to Maiduguri. 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.
In light of these historical truths, Ohanaeze Ndigbo urgently appeals to President 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 Southeast and the Niger Delta. We view President Tinubu’s decision to relocate certain offices of FAAN and CBN from Abuja to Lagos as an endorsement of Ohanaeze Ndigbo’s economic reasons, and we believe that this gesture must be extended to include the relocation of the headquarters of these vital Federal Ministries.
Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, the Secretary-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, underscores the need for the Arewa Consultative Forum, Northern Elders, and Senators from the North to 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.
Let it be known that Ohanaeze Ndigbo’s appeals to President Tinubu to relocate the headquarters of important Federal Ministries to the Southeast and Niger Delta states are driven by economic reasons and the desire for massive development in these two geopolitical zones.
In conclusion, Ohanaeze Ndigbo reiterates its commitment to fostering unity and rectifying historical imbalances in our great nation. We extend an open invitation to all Nigerians, transcending tribe and region, to join us in our noble pursuit.
Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro
Secretary-General
Ohanaeze Ndigbo
