Yekini Nabena, a chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Deputy National Publicity Secretary, has advocated for the relocation of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to the Niger Delta region.
Additionally, he proposed relocating the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, steel development, trade, and investment to Benue, Kogi, and Kano States, where abundant raw materials and natural resources are present.
Nabena’s call comes amid controversy surrounding the purported move to relocate part of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to Lagos State for increased efficiency.
He expressed disappointment with President Bola Tinubu for not addressing the relocation of key government agencies to Lagos.
Citing the Senate’s previous calls for International Oil Companies (IOCs) to relocate their headquarters to the Niger Delta, Nabena emphasized that federal agencies symbolize Nigerian unity and should not be subject to political interests.
He urged transparency from the presidency regarding the reasons for the relocation of the affected agencies.
The APC chieftain said: “If efficiency of these agencies is the main reason for plan to relocate them to Lagos State, we from the Niger Delta are also asking that the NNPCL, NIMASA, NPA and others will be more effective in either Bayelsa, Rivers or Delta states.
“In the same way, Federal Ministry of Mine and Steal should be moved to Kogi state where we have the Ajaokuta Steal for efficiency.
“I also believe that that the Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment should either be relocated to Kano or Anambra states where trade is done in high proportion. In the same way, Federal Ministry of Agriculture should be taken to Benue State, the food basket of the Nation.”
