The reaction of the North’s political leadership to the unbundling and relocation of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria and some departments of the Central Bank of Nigeria to Lagos reinforces the notion that true federalism might be a mirage for the country. President Bola Tinubu must be firm, ensuring that the administrative restructuring is extensive. His administration must evolve from mere administrative restructuring to the total restructuring of the unitary system that is holding Nigeria down.

Arguing that its staff strength of 4,233 exceeded the capacity of its headquarters, the CBN led the decentralisation by transferring 1,153 of them to other offices in the states and Lagos. This is “to align the Bank’s structure with its functions and objectives; redistribute skills to ensure a more even geographical spread of talent,” it said.

This is a sound argument, especially in a federal state. CBN offices at the state capitals are grossly underutilised though the structures are gulping huge maintenance funds.

Citing the need to conserve public resources and prevent the decay of the agency’s building in Lagos, FAAN soon followed suit. This is another pragmatic step, a good economic decision during national economic malaise. The highest percentage of the aviation business is domiciled in Lagos and there is no law against FAAN’s operations at that base.

But the Arewa Consultative Forum and the Northern Senators Forum have kicked against the relocation. The ACF stated that such relocation “fits into a disturbing pattern of antagonistic actions often taken by certain federal administrations against the interests of Northern and other parts of Nigeria. The proposed actions of the two agencies, CBN and FAAN, are precipitous and mala fide.” The NSF threatened to sue the Federal Government if negotiations failed to reverse the directives.

These are strong positions but they are based mainly on sentiments. Contrary to the North’s concerns, Abuja remains the capital and the seat of power while Lagos remains its economic nerve centre.

The position of the North highlights its resistance to true federalism, seen as the best political arrangement yet designed by man to accommodate countries with disparate ethnic and religious systems. To survive, Nigeria, with over 250 ethnic nationalities, cannot evade the issue of federalism for much longer.

Indeed, more MDAs should be decentralised instead of having them grapple with accommodation and inadequate office spaces in Abuja. Reports stated that some Ministries, Departments and Agencies are sharing office spaces in the FCT; some others reportedly default on their rent. These MDAs could be easily relocated to other parts of the country to avoid these issues.

Along this line, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company could be relocated to the Niger Delta, where the oil business is. With the major seaports in Lagos, the Nigerian Ports Authority could be in Lagos.

The elite in Nigeria should realise that Nigeria can only get out of the current miasma when true federal ethos replaces the ingrained unworkable political system. Although the capital of the United States is Washington, DC, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an arm of the US Department of Health and Human Services, has its headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, the Central Intelligence Agency is in Langley, Virginia, while the National Security Agency is in Fort Meade, Maryland.

Therefore, it is not out of question for MDAs in Nigeria to be based outside of the capital.

Urgently, Tinubu should give Nigeria a robust political system by deepening federalism. The President should review and implement some of the recommendations of the past constitutional conferences on federalism in Nigeria.

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