The All Progressives Congress (APC) may be heading for a showdown with the Federal Government over modalities for preparing and submitting handover notes to the incoming administration of Major General Muhammadu Buhari. Buhari, it was learnt would, on assumption of office on May 29, empower a specialcommittee to review all handover notes submitted by the outgoing administration to verify the true position of government institutions and their finances.
The review, which will bring the Jonathan administration under the searchlight of the new government, might open a can of worms and signal the beginning of many probes in the new dispensation.
The opposition party had earlier raised the alarm that its transition committee had not received enough cooperation from the incumbent government in terms of getting the handover notes from the various Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs). According to the party, the Jonathan administration is plotting to hinder a smooth transition of power by employing various delay tactics to enable the outgoing government to evade proper handover procedures.
The Federal Government, which first ordered all MDAs to make sure their handover notes were ready by April 20, later said the handover notes would not be ready until May 14.
APC National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, had at that time, said with the new date, the Buhari Transition Committee would have little or no time to take a thorough look at the handover notes or seek clarification on knotty issues. But New Telegraph yesterday learnt that the APC was getting more worried because even the few handover notes that had been received were “too brief” and, therefore, lacked the necessary details needed by the incoming administration to plan its programmes. A member of the party said the APC was disturbed by a fresh memo purportedly written by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, to all MDAs directing them to keep their handover notes brief and not more than six pages.
A parastatal, which submitted voluminous documents as part of its handover notes, was reportedly rebuked by the SGF’s Office, which subsequently directed it to prune down its submissions to an executive summary of not more than six pages.
The SGF’s Office declined comments on the allegations that it was frustrating the handover process.Mohammed did not also respond to New Telegraph’s inquiries on what the party was planning to do in the face of the seeming uncooperative attitude of the Federal Government.
However, the Federal Government has directed the suspension of leave for permanent secretaries, heads of government agencies and directors in the federal civil service. The directive was contained in a circular titled “Suspension of Leave” signed by the Head of the Civil, Mr. Danladi Kifasi, and issued to all MDAs.
The circular said President Goodluck Jonathan gave the directive in order to ensure a smooth and seamless handover on May 29. Also, it was gathered at the weekend that construction giant, Julius Berger, might not be able to complete renovation work at the president’s official residence in Aso Rock before the May 29 inauguration date.
Ahead of the inauguration, Jonathan has begun evacuating his personal belongings to allow for the renovation of the official residence. Investigation revealed that although Julius Berger was initially given two weeks to complete the renovation of the apartment.
A presidency source said Jonathan had moved most of his belongings to the Glass House located just next to his official residence. Buhari, the source said, would have to wait a while after the inauguration on May 29 before he could move to his new official quarters.
New Telegraph gathered that although officers in the protocol unit of the Presidential Villa were working closely with aides of the President-elect on what should be done, Buhari’s team considered it appropriate for their principal to relocate to the villa first when he would also have an opportunity to make input into the kind of changes he wanted.
“When the President-elect is sworn in on May 29, he and his family will first move to the Glass House while renovation at the main apartment continues. When former President Olusegun Obasanjo handed over to the late President Umaru Yar’Adua in 2009, it was the same thing.
Yar’Adua and his family first lived in the Glass House before he packed into the main building. “You know that while the President-elect will be living in the Glass House, he will have an opportunity to monitor what kind of changes that would be made apart from the input of his aides. Also, remember that the current president is a Christian while Buhari is a Muslim; so their interest about how the apartment is designed in terms of furniture may also differ. They want to avoid waste,” the source said.
Source: New Telegraph
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