By Andrew Onyejuruuwa
With high probability that President Muhammadu Buhari may dissolve the Federal Executive Council (FEC) ahead of the May 29 terminal date of his first term in office news has it that Buhari has asked ministers and agency heads to submit their handover notes latest by Wednesday April 24, 2019.
In a statement released by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Garba Shehu, said the president asked his appointees to come up with a comprehensive status reports on policies, programmes and projects of their respective Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). He explained that the government officials were also given April 24 as deadline for submission of their reports to the Presidential Audit Committee in the Office of the Vice President.
He further explained that a circular to this effect issued by Mr. Boss Mustapha, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), also instructed members of the Federal Executive Council to ensure that all outstanding memoranda they intend to present to the FEC are submitted to the Cabinet Affairs Office, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, not later than Tuesday, April 30, 2019.
Shehu said the circular also informed members that the 9th and 10th meetings of the council have been rescheduled to Thursday, April 25, and Thursday, May 2, 2019 respectively in view of the Easter break and May Day celebrations.
On account of that, the Federal Ministry of Finance has ordered Customs Comptroller General, Col. Hameed Ali (rtd), the Accountant General of the Federation and 12 other heads of agencies under the Ministry of Finance to submit their hand over notes by April 23. This directive was contained in a circular signed by the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed. The circular obtained yesterday, permanent secretaries and heads of extra-ministerial departments and auditor-general of the federation were also directed to send in their handover briefs.
Others affected by the circular include, the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON); the Debt Management Office; Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS); Security and Exchange Commission (SEC); Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC); National Insurance Commission; Investment and Security Tribunal; National Economic Reconstruction Fund; Nigeria Export Import Bank; Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD); Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) and Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority.