Alhaji Lai MuhammedAgainst the backdrop of expectation that President Muhammadu Buhari will dissolve the Federal Executive Council (GEC) today, after receiving the handing over notes from the ministers yesterday, the information minister, Lai Mohammed has said that the President is not yet thinking of dissolving the cabinet.
The minister, who answered reporters’ questions today, Wednesday shortly after the FEC meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, stressed: Federal Cabinet remains intact.”
He said that though the President will hold the last FEC meeting on May 22, but that the federal cabinet will be dissolved only at the behest of the President.
Lai Mohammed said that ministers are already preparing their handover notes to be submitted to permanent secretaries in their respective ministries before the administration winds down completely as directed by the President last week
President Buhari who proceeded on a 10- day private visit to the United Kingdom (UK) today, Wednesday after a working visit to Maiduguri, capital of Borno State, had on April 17, directed his 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 on Media and Publicity to the President 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, programmes 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 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, April 30, 2019.
The circular also informed members that the “9th and 10th meetings of the council have been rescheduled to Thursday, April 25 and Thursday, May 2, 2019 respectively” in view of the Easter break and May Day celebrations.
President Buhari will be inaugurated on May 29 to begin his second term of four-years, having won re-election in the April Presidential election.
