No plans to relocate Nigeria’s capital from Abuja — Lawyer

The recent news confirms that there is no plan, explicit or hidden, from President Bola Tinubu’s administration to shift Nigeria’s capital to Lagos. 

This information is presented in an article titled “Abuja Remains The Capital Of Nigeria,” according to a lawyer from Abuja, Jesutega Onokpasa.

Contrary to unfounded rumors, the recent changes involve relocating certain offices for better functionality and practicality, not a capital move. Some of these offices had not even effectively moved to Abuja initially.

The notion that everything must be based in a country’s capital is unimaginative and concentrates development in one place, neglecting other parts of the country. This practice isn’t common in many other countries.

For instance, South Africa’s Presidency is in Pretoria, the Supreme Court in Bloemfontein, the Constitutional Court in Johannesburg, and the Parliament in Cape Town.

Switzerland, with a population comparable to an average Nigerian state, equally distributes attention among Geneva, Zürich, Basel, Bern, and Lausanne.

In the United States, Washington DC is the capital, yet many crucial departments are headquartered elsewhere.

The Center for Disease Control is in Atlanta, Georgia, the US Nuclear Weapons’ Command in Massachusetts, and the gold reserve in Fort Knox, Kentucky.

Unlike the US, Nigeria has a history of concentrating everything in one place, to the detriment of other regions.

American states have diverse specialties, like Boeing and Microsoft in Washington, the auto industry in Michigan, and oil in Houston, Texas.

Let’s avoid unnecessary division over these matters. Abuja will remain Nigeria’s capital, and President Tinubu is committed to maintaining this status quo.

It’s crucial not to exaggerate minor issues and foster unity in our country. Onokpasa, a lawyer, shares these insights from Abuja.