Chief Whip of the Senate, Mohammed Ali Ndume, has shut down talks that he opposed the plan of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to relocate some departments of the apex bank from its headquarters in Abuja to Lagos State because he is against Yoruba people.
The lawmaker, in an interview with newsmen, said his intervention was based on reality and the irrelevance of the action by the leadership of the CBN.
Ndume, who called on the CBN governor to focus on stabilising the monetary situation in the country, especially the spiraling exchange rate and the rising inflation, said he had nothing against the South.
The Borno South senator said since his intervention on the CBN relocation, some elements have been using a section of the media to attack his personality and question the credentials of his daughter who is a staff member of the CBN.
He said though he’s a lawmaker, his children were qualified to work in any government agency as long as they have the needed credentials.
Ndume said the subtle blackmail would neither stop nor deter him from pointing out lapses in government, saying it was his own way of assisting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to succeed.
He said: “I stand by what I’ve said about the relocation of FAAN and some departments of the CBN to Lagos State. If it is about decongestion, Lagos is not the right place. There are CBN offices in all the states of the Federation. Why move the departments to Lagos that is already populated?
“Since my intervention, people been using a particular newspaper to attack me and saying that I hate the Yorubas. They’re ignorant and they don’t know what they’re saying.
“My two daughters are married to Yoruba men, one from Lagos State and the other from Kwara State. And I’ve five grandchildren who are Yoruba. How can I hate them and allow my daughters to marry them? Those saying I hate the Yorubas, how many of their sons and daughters are married to Hausas or Northerners? I’m a true Nigerian.
“They’ve also been questioning the fact that my daughter works at the CBN. They should check her records. She’s a Nigerian and she’s qualified to work anywhere, including the CBN.
“I’ve been the one pleading with her to remain there. She’s almost done with her PhD and she wants to go to the classroom as a lecturer. She’s a brilliant lady.
“Instead of these attacks on my person, the CBN should do its job and address the rising inflation and stabilising our exchange rates. They should leave me alone.
“President Tinubu is my friend and he knows that I support him 100%. He appreciates honest feedbacks and will not tolerate what these people around him who are becoming a political cartel are doing.
“I’ll continue to speak the truth and point out areas where corrections are needed. That’s my job as a senator. It is not personal at all.”
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