Talks around movement of Nigeria's capital to Lagos sparks controversy: summary

What we know

• Nigeria’s Federal Government has denied suggestions of a possible plan to relocate the country’s capital from Abuja to Lagos State. This follows the movement of some departments and parastatals from the capital to Lagos city.
• Government had earlier announced the relocation of the Department of Banking Supervision of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to Lagos state followed by a similar announcement by the Aviation Ministry for the transfer of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to its office in Lagos State.
• The announcements were met with mixed reactions from citizens, some of whom suggested that the relocations are subtle efforts by the government to relocate the country’s seat of power to Lagos from Abuja.
• The government assures that the movement to the commercial capital and hub of aviation business is solely for administrative convenience.
• The country’s capital was moved in 1991 from Lagos in the south-west part of the country to Abuja which is at the centre of the country.

What they said

Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy Bayo Onanuga in a statement described the suggestions as propaganda, “We consider it necessary to inform Nigerians that there is no iota of truth in the interpretations given to the directives in some quarters and the unfounded claims and rumours that President Bola Tinubu is planning to relocate the Federal Capital back to Lagos”. He further noted that the establishment of Abuja as the capital of Nigeria is backed by law and cannot be changed. “Those behind this renewed sordid narrative, using the recent decision of the CBN and FAAN as a pretext to start another round of toxic opposition are dishonest ethnic and regional champions, trying to draw attention to themselves. The status of Abuja as the Federal Capital has come to stay. It is backed by law,” he was quoted by local news outlet Daily Post.