Jonathan to hand over to Buhari before May 29

Its has been gathered that 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.
Patricia Akwashiki, Minister of Information, disclosed this to State
House correspondents at the end of the Federal Executive Council
meeting in Abuja on Wednesday.
She 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.
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