Boma Achenimie 
The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has expressed its concerns regarding the recent decision of the Federal Government to relocate some government agencies from Abuja to Lagos under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu.
They believe that this decision needs to be further evaluated to ensure that it benefits all regions of the country and promotes inclusive growth.
The forum argued that based on the explanation of the government, then various Ministries, Departments and Agencies can be distributed to various states based on the kind of activities peculiar to such areas.
The Chairman of the Board Of Trustees, Arewa Consultative Forum, Bashir Dalhatu, who spoke during an interview with Arise TV, gave an example that the headquarters of the Ministry of Commerce should be moved to Onitsha or Kano because there are far more commercial activities in those places than Abuja.
New Telegraph had earlier reported that the federal government has ordered that the headquarters of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) be moved from Abuja to Lagos State.
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Also, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is set to decongest its head office in Abuja and transfer some of its departments to Lagos State. The apex bank stated that the move is meant to increase the productivity of the affected staff while also cutting costs and ensuring their safety.
It further said the decongestion would also improve the apex bank’s operational and workflow efficiency.
However, Dalhatu said the intention of creating the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is to create a symbol of unity and togetherness but the current move by the government is not suggesting that purpose is being fulfilled by its policy direction.
He warned against setting unsustainable precedence and argued that if the next administration is not okay with the movement of such agencies to Lagos, then it would, again, transfer them to Abuja or other places in the country if it feels is the right location.
