The Federal Government has
warned the President-elect,
Muhammadu Buhari, against
utterances and actions capable of
portraying him as running a parallel
government at a time President
Goodluck Jonathan is still fully in
charge.
The Minister of National Planning,
Abubakar Sulaiman, disclosed this
at the end of the weekly Federal
Executive Council meeting in Abuja
on Wednesday.
Sulaiman told State House
correspondents that FEC considered
the state of the transition
programme and took exception to
some utterances and terms of
reference of the committee set up
by Buhari.
The President-elect inaugurated a
19-member committee with a
charge to members not to engage
in a witch-hunt or fault finding.
One of the assignments of the
Buhari transition committee is to
review and make preliminary
assessment of the balance sheet of
the Federal Government with
particular emphasis on the status of
assets and liabilities; cash flow
position and the quantum of
domestic and external debts.
But Sulaiman, who is the chairman
of the Technical Subcommittee of
the outgoing government’s
transition committee, said such
utterances by Buhari and his team
were suggestive that the current
government was either being
stampeded or intimidated.
He said, “We did receive from the
incoming government’s transition
committee some terms of
reference which we looked at
critically and council did agree that
the President remains the current
head of government of this country.
“The incoming government should
avoid creating a parallel
government while the government
is still on.
“We take exception to some
utterances and some of the terms
of reference that look as if the
current government is being
stampeded or intimidated.
“Council frowned on most of the
statements, most of the
provocations and council members
are advised to work in line with the
terms of reference of the current
government.
“Council members are also told that
the terms of reference as formatted
by our transition committee should
be strictly complied with.
“When the incoming government
takes over government, they can
come out with their programmes;
they can come out with their own
agenda and they can decide to
come out with policies in the way
they feel like.
“This government remains resolute
to the various programmes and
projects it is pursuing and it will
continue to do that until the
morning of May 29.”
When asked to mention some of
the terms of reference of the
incoming government’s transition
committee that the outgoing
government felt uncomfortable
with, Sulaiman asked journalists to
go and do their investigation.
He warned that Jonathan’s
“magnanimity should not be taken
as a sign of cowardice.”
The minister said the President
and the council members
“enjoined Nigerians to see the
olive branch extended to Nigerians
and the international community as
a way of keeping this country intact
and as a way of ensuring peace in
Nigeria.
“As such, whatever the outcome of
the elections, what is important is
Nigeria’s national interest. And that
national interest should be
protected, enhanced and promoted
at whatever level we are.
“These are issues that bordered on
transition programme discussed in
council.”
He said while the council enjoined
its members to be steadfast,
Jonathan also asked them to come
out with projects to be
inaugurated.
He added that the President asked
government officials to continue to
perform their duties without fear
and intimidation.
The minister further quoted
Jonathan as saying that civil
servants should see his
government as the current
government and avoid doing
anything capable of rocking the
boat.
Sulaiman disclosed that Vice-
President Namadi Sambo, who
heads Jonathan’s transition
committee had a robust discussion
with the chairman of the Buhari’s
transition committee, Ahmed Joda,
on Tuesday.
He also said that as of Tuesday,
almost all the Ministries,
Departments and Agencies that
were directed to submit briefs and
hand- over notes to the Sambo-led
committee had complied, except
for one or two ministries.
The minister said the committee
was currently in possession of the
executive summaries of all the
MDAs handover notes and the
entire handover notes from almost
all the MDAs.
“The transition process is on course
in terms of handover notes and
briefs, we have covered almost 80
per cent of our assignments,” he
said.
Nothing wrong with our terms
of reference
A member of the Buhari transition
committee, Lai Mohammed,
however dismissed the allegations
of sinister motive in the terms of
reference.
Mohammed expressed surprise at
the turn of events, saying, “What
did they expect us to do? Did they
expect us to take the handover
notes without asking questions?
“That is not the way to do things;
the incoming administration needs
to get a true picture of things.”
by ROTMANLUV 2023-07-08, 17:34
