Ndume said he doesn’t speak for the North, nor Northern senators, but in the interest of Nigerians and President Tinubu who he has enormous respect for.
Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume (APC, Borno South), has stated that he has no resentment for opposing the move by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to relocate some of its units from the Abuja headquarters to Lagos State as his intervention was based on reality and the irrelevance of the action by the leadership of the CBN.
Since his intervention, according to the Senate Chief Whip, certain people have been taking advantage of the media to criticise his personality and raising questions about the qualifications of his daughter, a CBN staff member.
According to him, despite being a lawmaker, his daughter and kids are eligible to work for any government organisation as long as they have the required qualifications asserting that it was his method of supporting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to succeed and the subtle blackmail could not prevent him from pointing out government inefficiencies.
He further stressed that if individuals tasked with overseeing the country’s affairs make mistakes, they will never be dissuaded from speaking the truth to power.
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Ndume, challenging individuals who are criticising him and alleging that he harbours animosity towards the Yoruba people, disclosed that both of his daughters are married to Yoruba men and have given him five Yoruba grandkids.
Rather than concentrating on moving departments to a heavily populated state like Lagos, Ndume urged the governor of the CBN to concentrate on stabilising the country’s monetary conditions, particularly the rapidly declining value of the currency and the increasing rate of inflation.
He 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,” he maintained.
STAR Check: Nigerians, particularly, constituents of Borno South district, can keep tabs on the legislative performance of Sen. Ndume throughout the 10th senate here.
