By Muhammad Sani Abdullahi
Nigeria Federal Government says the theme for the 2023 Transition is “Nigeria: Better Together.”
Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Chairman, Presidential Transition Council, Boss Mustapha stated this on Thursday in Abuja while briefing newsmen on the programme of activities marking the 2023 Presidential Inauguration.
Our Correspondent reports that the Press briefing which was attended by both local and international media was held at the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abuja.
Mustapha said the presence of both local and international media at the forum was an indication that Nigerians and the global community are desirous of supporting the process of democratic transition of power from one administration to the other.
According to him, the upcoming event is historically significant to Nigeria and the international community, particularly Africa “because of the democratic values and lessons in nationhood hence the Government chose ‘NIGERIA: Better Together’, as the theme for the 2023 transition.
“I am delighted to inform you that May 29, 2023 will mark the 7th consecutive democratic transition of power in Nigeria and on that day, we shall all be ushering in the 16th President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“The significance of the above is underscored by the desire of this administration to lay a solid foundation for seamless transition of power by institutionalizing the process through legislation.
“In February, 2023, the President through Executive Order 14, approved the establishment of the Presidential Transition Council (PTC). The 24-member Council inclusive of two representatives of the President-Elect was inaugurated on 14th February 2023.
“The Council is charged with the responsibility of facilitating and managing Presidential Transition. In the course of this process, the PTC established three main Committees namely: (i) Inauguration Committee under Chairmanship of the SGF; (ii) Transition Documents Committee under the Chairmanship of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation; and (iii) Security, Facilities and Intelligence Committee under the Chairmanship of the National Security Adviser,” he explained.
The SGF further explained that the PTC also interfaced with leading democratic nations including the United States of America and the Republic of Kenya, as part of its learning efforts to pick up useful lessons in line with international best practices.
Mustapha assured Nigerians and indeed the global community of President Muhammadu Buhari’s commitment to the seamless transfer of power to the President-Elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the 16th President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“In demonstration of this commitment, the President has directed all relevant Government institutions to cooperate with and support the transition process through engagement with the President-Elect’s Team. It is for this reason that President Buhari amongst other things, approved the inclusion of the team as part of the Federal Government delegation to the World Bank/IMF Spring meetings in Washington DC in April, 2023,” he said.
The SGF later unveiled the schedule of activities marking the 2023 Presidential Inauguration.
