After spending nearly three weeks in the saddle, President Muhammadu Buhari is set to move into the Presidential Villa and commence serious business of governance next week, a competent Presidency source confirmed to Vanguard.
Since being declared winner of the 2015 Presidential election, Buhari has been operating from the Defence House in Maitama and has been conducting official business of government from there, having taken over the mantle of leadership on May 29, 2015 from former President Goodluck Jonathan.
But authoritative Presidency sources told Vanguard that Buhari was set to move into the Presidential Villa before the end of the week and might also name the first set of top government officials to kick-start the administration, which has witnessed a lull in the last three weeks.
“It is true that the construction company has completed the President’s wing and he is set to move in any moment from now. As at today, it is only the Vice President’s residence that is yet to be fully completed.Vanguard learnt that the President was ready to move from Defence House to the Villa possibly early next week following completion of renovation of the President’s residence by the company which handled the project.
“We expect that the two men will move into the villa by next week since the work in the Vice President’s apartment is not a serious one,” an official in the Presidency explained to Vanguard.
The source explained that Buhari was set to begin naming some key officials of his government as soon as he moves into the Villa to prepare the grounds for the take off of serious work for Nigerians who have been expecting action from the administration.
Fashola, Fayemi, others fine-tune 800-page report
As a prelude to setting up his administration, Buhari has reportedly handed over the 800-page Transition Committee Report to a trusted team of his associates, headed by former Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola; former Ekiti governor, Kayode Fayemi and others to reduce into a sizable and workable document.
Fashola is being tipped to emerge as Chief of Staff to the President because of his pedigree as a former Chief of Staff, governor and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
An impeccable source said that it was Buhari who instructed that after all others had completed working on transition report, they should hand over the voluminous document to Fashola to reduce into an implementable format for him to read and take necessary actions.
The source said: “Hopefully, from next week, some appointments would be announced. Buhari is a fast reader and he will be able to take immediate actions based on the transition report.”
A member of the Buhari Transition Committee, who pleaded anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the matter, confirmed to Vanguard that the final report presented to the president last week was a comprehensive document meant to guide him in taking decisions as to the shape and nature of his administration to bring about the needed change in the country.
The member said that what they presented to the President was more of a blueprint and how best to go about it in order to bring the country out of the woods.
The member said: “The final report is very rich and we believe it will help Mr. President in putting a solid structure of his government and give him policy direction as well.”
VANGUARD
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