Ndume Speaks On Hating Yorubas After Comments About CBN, FAAN Movement From Abuja To Lagos

Borno South Senator, Ali Ndume, has rubbished comments suggesting he is an ethnic bigot following his opposition to the plans by the federal government to move some departments of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the headquarters of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) from Abuja to Lagos.

The lawmaker, in a press statement on Thursday, while rejecting insinuations about hating the Yoruba ethnic group, however, said he won’t change his position about the planned relocation of the federal government agencies.

To further buttress his point that he has no form of hatred for the Yoruba ethnic group, the Senate Chief Whip disclosed that two of his daughters are married to Yoruba men and already have children.

Senator Ndume, therefore, called on those criticising him to leave him alone and urged the CBN to focus on providing monetary stability and fighting inflation.

He also denied being the mouthpiece of certain groups, including the North or Northern senators, but clarified he is speaking what he believes to be the truth in the interest of Nigerians and President Bola Tinubu, who he has enormous respect for, maintaining that his comments are not personal at all.

On his daughter, who works at the CBN, Ndume said she is a qualified Nigerian who can work in any government agency.

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.”