AYCF kicks against attempts at ‘undermining status of Abuja’ as capital city

From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

The Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF), a prominent youth organization in Northern Nigeria, has strongly condemned recent attempts to relocate key departments of the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
The organization believes that these relocations pose a significant threat to Abuja’s status as the capital city and could have negative implications for the nation as a whole.
AYCF President, General Yerima Shettima raised the concerns about the potential consequences that could arise from these relocations. He emphasized that this move risks undermining national unity, disrupting operations, causing economic setbacks, and perpetuating regional imbalances.
According to Shettima, Abuja was deliberately chosen as the capital to promote national unity and decentralize power. Any agenda that seeks to tamper with this arrangement will be fiercely resisted by AYCF and its supporters.
Furthermore, Shettima expressed his disappointment with the complicit silence of the Northern elite regarding these provocations.
He highlighted that the Northern elite must not be silent when the political and economic viability of Northern Nigeria is at stake, and that well-meaning Nigerians should speak out against this emerging arbitrariness.
The AYCF calls on the relevant authorities to reconsider these proposed relocations in light of the potential harm they may cause Abuja’s status as the capital city and the nation as a whole. The organization urges decision-makers prioritize national unity and ensure that any actions taken do not perpetuate regional imbalances or compromise the political and economic viability of Northern Nigeria.
AYCF, he said, remains committed to its mission of promoting unity and development in Northern Nigeria and the nation as a whole and vows to continue advocating for the preservation of Abuja’s status as the capital city and to resist any attempts to undermine national unity.