There were indications that arrangements are in top gear to welcome the winner of the February 25, 2023, presidential polls, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu when he arrives in Lagos, this week.
Although the president-elect traveled to France to have some rest following the hectic electioneering of the presidential polls, sources close to him hinted that the tempo changed last week as he began to work on the shape of his team and the direction of the incoming administration.
Discussion between the president-elect and his vice president, Senator Kashim. Shettima with stakeholders across the country has commenced.
It was also reported that the president-elect is receiving daily briefs from the Transition Committee headed by the Secretary to the Federation, Mr. Mustapha Boss.
The committee has two representatives of the president-elect in the person of a former Commissioner for Finance in Lagos State, Mr. Wale Edun, and the Governor of Kebbi State, His Excellency Atiku Bagudu.
At a recent press conference, the SGF said the committee will break into three sub-groups: inauguration, transition documents, and facilities, security, and intelligence.
Breaking down the composition of each sub-group, the SGF named 13 inauguration subcommittees to cover Media and Publicity; Church Service; Juma’at Service; Protocol and Invitations; Transport and Logistics; The Inauguration Lecture; Ceremonial Parade; Venues and Swearing in; Medical; Inauguration Dinner/Gala Night; Post Inauguration Luncheon; Accommodation and Children’s Day Celebration.
While the SGF heads this sub-group, the Head of Service of the Federation,Dr. Folasade Yemisi-Esan will head the Transition Documents group whose main task is to create a compendium of the current administration’s policies, pprogrammes, and projects of this administration in nine priority areas.
” It is also in charge of ensuring the preparation of sectoral briefs and handover notes of the current administration for the incoming administration. “he said.
The National Security Adviser Major -General Babagana Monguno (rtd) is in charge of the third group, which among other tasks, will organize necessary facilities, including furnished office and personnel for the President-and Vice-President-Elect; security for the President and Vice-President Elect; covert and overt security before, during, and after the 2023 Presidential Inauguration and general surveillance of FCT.
With just 48 days to go, the groups and sub-committees have swung into action.
Most obvious is the security and facilities group that has affected the takeover of the security of the president-elect and the vice-president elects including standard protocols that both can no longer y on the same plane.
The Directorate of State Security has also responded to alleged plans by supporters of the Labour Party candidate Peter Obi to organize nationwide protests against the inauguration warning that it would treat such actions as breaches of national security.
On its part, the Nigerian Army has reacted to the call by a few supporters of the Labour Party candidate on the armed forces to take over the government. The military dismissed the call as unconstitutional.
Impeccable sources close to the president-elect hinted that a lot of analysis of what is to be done to tackle the economic challenges facing Nigerians in the first 100 days is ongoing as Asiwaju Tinubu is determined to hit the ground running.
“The president-elect is looking at the low-hanging fruits- quick fixes to douse tension and relieve the common people of their economic burdens- in the first 100 days. Major restructuring of the country’s polity and economy are underway”, said an insider.