The lawmaker said his intervention was based on reality and the irrelevance of the action by CBN leadership.
The Borno South senator said since his intervention, some elements had been using a section of the media to attack his personality and question the credentials of his daughter, who is a staff of CBN.
He said though he’s a lawmaker, his daughter and other children “are qualified to work in any government agency”, as long as they have the needed credentials.
According to Ndume, the subtle blackmail will not stop or deter him from pointing out lapses in government, saying it was his way of assisting President Bola Tinubu tosucceed.
The lawmaker challenged those attacking him and claiming that he harbours ill-feelings against the Yoruba to show their pan-Nigerian credentials, revealing that his two daughters were married to Yoruba men and have both given him five Yoruba grandchildren.
Instead, Ndume called on the CBN governor to focus on stabilising the monetary situation in the country, especially the spiralling exchange rate and rising inflation, rather than dwelling on the relocation of departments to an already over-populated Lagos.
While clearing the air on claims that he is the mouthpiece of certain groups, Ndume said he does not speak for the North, nor Northern senators, but in the interest of Nigerians and Tinubu whom he has enormous respect for.
He said: “I stand by what I have said about the relocation of Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and some departments of CBN to Lagos. 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 overpopulated?
“Since my intervention, people have been using a particular newspaper to attack me and saying that I hate the Yoruba. They are ignorant. My two daughters are married to Yoruba men, one from Lagos and the other from Kwara State. I have five grandchildren who are Yoruba. How can I hate them and allow my daughters to marry them? Those saying I hate the Yoruba, how many of their sons and daughters are married to Northerners? I am a true Nigerian.”
The Senate Whip said he would continue to speak the truth and point out areas where corrections are needed. “That is my job as a senator; it is not personal at all,” he stressed.
