President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the establishment of a presidential transition council to oversee the transfer of power from his government to whoever is elected president-elect on February 25 with exactly 109 days remaining before the end of his eight-year constitutional term.
The council will be inaugurated on February 14 under the direction of Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
Willie Bassey, the SGF’s office’s director of information, announced in a statement on Thursday. He added that President Buhari also signed Executive Order No. 14 of 2023 to formally recognize the council as the body in charge of planning future transitions of the Federal Government.
Bassey said, “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.
The president also reserved two slots in the committee to be occupied by representatives of whoever emerges as president-elect.
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 noon at the Conference Hall of the SGF.
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 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.
