Prominent civil rights advocacy group, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has opposed the plan by the new Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Mr. Olayemi Cardoso, to transfer some departments of the apex bank to Lagos.
The rights group said the decision was political and was reminiscent of the “notoriously petty politics” that go on in some states of the federation whereby governors newly elected and sworn-in, rapidly move state universities to their local government areas.
Besides, HURIWA argued that it makes no logical sense to say that the attempt to decongest the Abuja headquarters of the CBN was a reason for transferring departments of the CBN to Lagos.
It added that the same reason of over-congestion of the entire Lagos state was why the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was set up in the first place by law, which is subsisting and binding on all persons and authorities as Nigeria’s federal capital and seat of government.
The rights group in a statement by the National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, said the decision by the new CBN chief was tantamount to disrespecting section 298 of the constitution of Nigeria which states unambiguously that the FCT shall be the capital of the federation and seat of government of the federation.
HURIWA argued that the enabling Act that set up the CBN prescribed the legal functions to include being the official banker of the government of the federation.
It argued that this emphatically means that the CBN must be domiciled wherever the seat of government is located by law, which for now is Abuja.
It described the reason given for the plan to move some departments to Lagos as puerile and laughable.
HURIWA accused Cardoso of executing ethnic agenda by attempting to move strategic departments of the CBN to his state of origin which is Lagos.
It wondered that if the erstwhile governor of CBN for almost a decade, Mr. Godwin Emefiele had moved some departments to Asaba, the Delta State capital, which is his state of origin, whether the Lagos-born CBN governor will still have other departments to move to Lagos as being contemplated.
HURIWA urged the CBN chief executive to perish what it said was a politically toxic plot because it would set a dangerous precedent.
The rights group said the new leadership of the CBN, by planning to move departments of the bank to Lagos was dragging the hand of the clock backwards in Nigeria.
It recalled that some staff members of the bank had reportedly resisted the transfer and claimed that it is motivated by tribal sentiment.
The group argued that all departments of CBN headquarters must be in Abuja while those staff already in the Lagos office should be instructed to handle assignments involving banks based in Lagos.
HURIWA said in a digital age, the CBN doesn’t have to physically locate staff in Lagos to carry out its task of regulating the banking sector.
Chuks Okocha
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