President Goodluck Jonathan will
hand over power to the President-
elect, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari
(retd.), on May 28, about 24 hours
before the actual inauguration
date.
The Minister of Information,
Patricia Akwashiki, disclosed this to
State House correspondents at the
end of the Federal Executive
Council meeting in Abuja on
Wednesday.
Akwashiki said Jonathan would
perform the ceremony at a dinner
on the eve of the May 29 Democracy
Day.
She said, “By May 28, the President
intends to have the formal
handover done at a dinner so that
we can reserve May 29 for the
incoming government.
“By May 28, we are expected to
have concluded our own
government and we are welcoming
the incoming government.
“Also you know May 29 is our
Democracy Day. So, we have
activities lined up all through that
week, showcasing all what we have
achieved and all other things we do
normally on our Democracy Day
except that this year is special with
the inauguration of our new
President that is coming up on May
29.”
She added that the President had
directed all Ministries, Departments
and Agencies to prepare their
handover notes and submit same
to the Secretary to the Government
of the Federation, Anyim Pius
Anyim, on or before April 20.
She said it was Anyim’s
responsibility to compile the notes
which would form Jonathan’s
handover document to Buhari.
She added that while the
valedictory FEC meeting would hold
on May 20, everything that required
the President’s approval must be
presented to him latest on May 13
so that the incoming government
would not accuse the outgoing
government of rushing projects.
The minister said that Jonathan had
directed the MDAs to brief him on
inherited projects and the ones
initiated by his administration
under their jurisdiction.
She said the briefings were
expected to include the status of
the projects and their levels of
implementation.
The minister added, “The President
emphasised on the need for all
MDAs to submit their handover
notes to the Office of the SGF by the
20th of this month, that is next
Monday. So we are going to be very
busy this weekend putting our
handover notes together.
“The President also emphasised
that he would require another little
briefing from all MDAs to indicate
inherited projects, how far they
have been executed and initiated
projects by his administration and
the level of completion, whether
completed, ongoing or
abandoned.”
She said the present administration
was doing everything possible to
ensure a smooth transition, adding
that Vice-President Namadi Sambo
is heading the government’s
transition committee while Anyim
is heading the inauguration
committee.
Akwashiki however said
notwithstanding the transition
programme, governance had not
stopped in the country.
“That is not to say that governance
has stopped. Of course, we are in
government until the day he
President-elect takes his oath of
office,” she explained.
The Minister of Petroleum
Resources, Diezani Alison-
Madueke and her Finance
counterpart, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-
Iweala, were among the few
ministers who did not attend the
Wednesday FEC meeting.
The meeting was the first to be
held after the March 28 presidential
election which Jonathan lost to
Buhari.
Before the President arrived at the
venue, some ministers, especially
the core politicians among them,
used the opportunity to review the
polls and their performances in
their various states.
They formed small groups to take
stock zone-by-zone
The Minister of Police Affairs, Jelili
Adesiyan; Minister of State II,
Foreign Affairs, Senator Musiliu
Obanikoro; Minister of State,
Federal Capital Territory,
Olajumoke Akinjide and the
Minister of State, Works, Dayo
Adeyeye, were seen engrossed in
discussion on the Peoples
Democratic Party’s performance in
the South-West while they awaited
Jonathan’s arrival at the venue.
by ROTMANLUV 2023-07-08, 17:34
