The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has refuted recent reports suggesting plans to relocate the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to Lagos State.
In a statement via the X platform on Wednesday, Onanuga labeled those spreading such information as dishonest individuals with ethnic and regional biases, attempting to gain attention.
The adviser clarified that similar rumors had surfaced during the 2023 presidential campaign in a bid to hinder Tinubu’s candidacy, but were dismissed at the time. Onanuga emphasized that Abuja, as the FCT, is backed by law and is here to stay, adding that the recent movement of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to Lagos does not equate to relocating the entire FCT.
“President Tinubu has no plan whatsoever to move the Federal Capital to Lagos. The rumor first surfaced during the campaign last year by opponents looking for all manners of weapons to stop him. We trashed it,” Onanuga stated.
He highlighted that the relocation of FAAN, a department of the Aviation Ministry, to Lagos, where it was originally based before being moved to Abuja during the last administration, is an administrative decision. Onanuga asserted that FAAN would still maintain some presence in Abuja and emphasized that the move of certain departments of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to Lagos should not be sensationalized.
“The administrative move should have attracted scant attention, as Lagos is the commercial capital and the hub of aviation business in Nigeria. FAAN should be nowhere else but near the industry it regulates. FAAN will still maintain some presence in Abuja, as it is not a wholesale movement,” he explained.
Onanuga criticized the politicization of administrative decisions, urging against dangerous rumors that aim to distract and undermine the current administration led by a southerner. He concluded by calling for an end to what he described as “dirty politics” and cautioned against playing politics with every aspect of governance.
