FAAN, CBN’s relocation aimed at reducing operational costs – FG

The federal government has explained that the planned relocation of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and some departments of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is a pragmatic administrative step to improve operational efficiency and reduce operating costs.

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, said the planned relocation was not a political move aimed at marginalising any section of the country.

He urged Nigerians to be mindful of all persons and groups at home and abroad who specialised in making false and inciting claims on radio, TV, and social media, as well as in peddling altered videos and images for viral dissemination.

He said as part of the focus on earning the trust of Nigerians, the fight against corruption would continue and intensify.

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He further said the government was determined to ensure that there were no sacred cows and that public funds were applied wholly for the public good, hence that President Bola Tinubu was providing the anti-corruption agencies with the support required to fulfill their mandates.

Idris said, “The opening weeks of 2024, our stock market has already put us on the global map for the impressive returns being delivered. The Indian businesses that pledged $14bn in new investments in Nigeria on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in India in September 2023 have since started making good on those pledges.

“Across oil and gas, agriculture, consumer goods, renewable energy, healthcare, ICT, and many other fields we are seeing global and local businesses demonstrating unshakable belief in the limitless possibilities that Nigeria embodies.”

On security, he said all threats were being confronted as the government was taking the fight to the criminals’ dens with promising results, noting that in the last week several bandits, kidnappers, and militants had been neutralized or arrested.

Idris appealed that the resurgent crisis in Plateau State was regrettable and that perpetrators of violence there and everywhere else in the country were being brought to book.

He further said, “Justice will be done and peace will be restored in all affected communities. We salute the gallantry of security and intelligence agencies who are leaving no stone unturned to ensure that we are safe in our homes and on the highways and that criminals have no breathing space.”