PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari will dissolve his cabinet five days to the end of the administration, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed, has said.
The Minister stated this while briefing journalists at the end of the weekly Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting presided over by the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo at the Council Chamber Presidential Villa, Abuja.
According to him, the President has scheduled to hold a valedictory session with members of the FEC on May 22 and thereafter the cabinet will be dissolved ahead of his inauguration for the commencement of his second tenure of four years on May 29.
Although there were speculations that the President was going to dissolve his cabinet Thursday going by the directives last week that all the ministers should submit progress reports of their various ministries but Alhaji Mohammed said the cabinet was still intact.
According to him, ministers as directed by President Buhari were already preparing their handover notes to be submitted to Permanent Secretaries in their respective ministries before the administration winds down completely.
He said: ”we will be having a valedictory session on 22nd May. The cabinet remains intact.”
Recall that the President who has proceeded on a 10 day private visit to the United Kingdom (UK), had on April 17 directed ministers to immediately submit a comprehensive status report of their policies and projects on or before April 24 to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, had in a statement said “as the first term of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration winds down, the President has asked for a comprehensive “status reports on policies, programs and projects” from cabinet members on their respective ministries, departments and agencies.
“These reports have Wednesday, April 24, 2019 as the deadline for submission to the Presidential Audit Committee in the office of the Vice President.”
The Presidential Media aide had explained that ”a circular to this effect issued by Boss Mustapha, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, also requested members of the Federal Executive Council to ensure that all outstanding memoranda they intend to present to the Federal Executive Council are submitted to the Cabinet Affairs Office, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, not later than Tuesday, 30th April, 2019.
“The circular also informed members that the “9th and 10th meetings of the Council have been rescheduled to Thursday, 25th April and Thursday, 2nd May, 2019 respectively” in view of the Easter break and May Day celebrations.’
