The President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, Thursday, May 21, received the interim report of the Transition Committee set up to assist the newly-elected President to transit smoothly to the Presidency.
The committee was led by its Chairman, Alhaji Ahmed Joda.
In his opening remarks before the presentation, Joda said the committee received tremendous cooperation from members of the organized private sector (OPS), Nigeria’s international development partners as well as stakeholders from across the country.
Joda said his committee worked hard through four sub- committees to arrive at the interim report, adding however that the report does not have any input from the out-going administration. He was optimistic that the final report of the committee would include the input of the present administration, provided it is made available.
The interim report dealt with issues of good governance namely the executive, legislature and judiciary, finance and economy as well as core sectors like agriculture, oil and gas and solid minerals.
The report also looked at Infrastructure and power and national security.
Similarly, education, health and social welfare which featured in the manifesto of the party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) were also intensely studied and recommendations made.
Buhari thanked the committee for doing a thorough job and presenting an interim report within the time allocated to it.
Buhari, however, expressed disappointment that ministers and other government leaders were not at hand, so far, to brief the committee but assured that since the bureaucrats who write the reports will be at hand after the departure of the politicians, whatever is there will eventually be known. He requested the Joda-led committee to be in readiness to resume work the moment the outgoing government’s handover notes are received.
Present at the event were APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, Chief Bisi Akande, APC national leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers.
In another development, Buhari also on Thursday, received the President of Niger Republic, Mahamadou Issoufou who paid him a solidarity and congratulatory visit.
In a statement by Garba Shehu, Director of Media and Publicity of the Media Team of the President-elect, the Niger leader said he brought the felicitations and good wishes of the people of his country to the President-elect as well as out-going Nigerian leader, President Goodluck Jonathan for the free and fair election that brought a peaceful change of leadership. The Niger leader said that the free and peaceful elections in Nigeria would impact positively on the development of democracy in Africa.
In his response, the President-elect thanked the Niger leader for his interest and good wishes for Nigeria adding that Niger has always been a good neighbour to Nigeria. Buhari went down memory lane to say that there is a lot in common between Nigeria, Niger, Cameroun, Benin Republic and Chad in terms of overlapping ethnic groups, language and culture.
He said that the two countries as well as all other neighbours would continue to cooperate for their common good and wished President Issoufou and the people of Niger well.