Senator Ali Ndume, speaking on Thursday, February 8th, made it clear that he does not possess any hatred towards Yoruba when he expressed his concerns about the decision to move certain staff members of the CBN from Abuja to Lagos.
He said his two daughters are married to Yorubas and have given him five Yoruba grandchildren.
However, he expressed no remorse for his criticism of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) proposal to move certain departments from its headquarters in Abuja to Lagos State.
Ndume, in a statement in Abuja, stressed that his intervention was grounded in facts and the insignificance of the actions taken by the leadership of the CBN.
He observed that after expressing his opinion on the matter, certain factions in the media have been criticizing him by raising doubts about the qualifications of his daughter who is employed at the CBN.
Ndume 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 which is already populated?
“Since my intervention, people have 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 Ph.D. 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 feedback 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.”
