As Buhari prepares his final departure, his kitchen cabinet would also be preparing for the next step. Let me add quickly that politicians are not really so bad, it’s just that 99% of all politicians make the rest look bad. And I am sure for the next four years that will be the case for the next president of Nigeria.
Last week the OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY TO THE GOVERNMENT OF THE FEDERATION in a PRESS RELEASE stated that President Muhammadu Buhari had approved the establishment of a Presidential Transition Council, for facilitating and managing the 2023 transition programme, and also signed EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 14, 2023
Members of the Committee are:
i. Secretary to the Government of the Federation – Chairman
ii. Head of the Civil Service of the Federation
iii. Solicitor-General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice
iv. Permanent Secretaries from the following Ministries and Offices:
a. Defence
b. Interior
c. Finance, Budget and National Planning
d. Foreign Affairs
e. Information and Culture
f. Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA)
g. Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs
h. Cabinet Affairs Office, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF)
i. General Services Office, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF)
j. Economic and Political Affairs Office, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF)
k. State House
v. National Security Adviser
vi. Chief of Defence Staff
vii. Inspector-General of Police
viii. Director General, National Intelligence Agency
ix. Director General, State Security Services
x. Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court of Nigeria; and
xi. Two representatives, to be nominated by the President-elect
The Transition Council will be inaugurated by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation on Tuesday 14th February, 2023 at 12 noon at the Conference Hall of the SGF. And members are expected to attend the inauguration in person.
Also, the President has signed the Executive Order No. 14 of 2023 on the Facilitation and Management of the Presidential Transitions.
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 which is part of President Buhari’s legacy.
When I was growing up in the South, people often said to me, “You’re the spitting image of your dad.” I understood what they meant, but still, what’s a “spitting” image? Someone later explained that it’s slang for “spirit and image.” It refers to more than just appearance. If you’re someone’s spitting image, you have their charisma or mannerisms, the same walk or laugh or smile. That’s what people mean by spitting images — you remind them of someone.
Although I’m not 100 percent sure that’s the origin of this southern phrase, I am convinced it offers insight into what it means to Nigerian for me.
So, with the setting up with the transition committee, bearing any unforeseen Mr. Buhari will leave office in shaa Allah come May 29th 2023 and another cycle most likely will begin.