By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr Boss Mustapha, has been appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari as the chairman of the Presidential Transition Council.
A statement signed by the Director of Information, Mr Willie Bassey, for the SGF on Thursday disclosed that the team would be inaugurated next Tuesday.
“The Transition Council will be inaugurated by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation on Tuesday, February 14, 2023, at 12 noon at the Conference Hall of the SGF,” a part of the statement said.
It was further stated that the council would be saddled with the responsibility of “facilitating and managing the 2023 transition programme.”
On February 25, 2023, Nigeria heads to the polls to elect a new President as the tenure of Mr Buhari ends on May 29, 2023.
The three major candidates of the exercise are Mr Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Mr Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP).
In the disclosure by Mr Bassey, it was noted that the winner of the presidential election would have the opportunity to nominate two persons to the Presidential Transition Council.
At the moment, the committee will have the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation; the Solicitor-General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Justice; the Permanent Secretaries from the Ministries and Offices of Defence, Interior, Finance, Budget and National Planning, Foreign Affairs; Information and Culture; Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA); Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs; Cabinet Affairs Office, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF); General Services Office, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF); and Economic and Political Affairs Office, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF).
Others are the State House, National Security Adviser, Chief of Defence Staff, Inspector-General of Police, Director General of the National Intelligence Agency, DG of State Security Services, and Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
In a related development, Mr Buhari has signed the Executive Order No. 14 of 2023 on the Facilitation and Management of the Presidential Transitions.
According to the statement, a key feature of the Presidential Executive Order No. 14 of 2023 is the institutionalization of a legal framework that would enable a seamless transition of power from one presidential administration to another.
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Adedapo Adesanya