President Muhammadu Buhari will start making his first set of appointments after the celebration of the country’s Democracy Day, which will be observed on Wednesday, June 12.
The disclosure was made by a source at the presidential villa, Abuja, who said the president has to let Nigerians know what he has for them in his second term, Daily Trust reports.
The source said: “The president will announce names of those he wants to work with after the celebration of Democracy Day. He has to let Nigerians know what he has for them in his second term. It is after that that he would make his initial appointments.”
The former senior special assistant to President Buhari on National Assembly matters (Senate), Senator Ita Enang, said the president, on Monday, June 10, assented to the Public Holiday Amendment Act, declaring June 12 of every year a public holiday and Democracy Day.
He said: “By the act amended and signed by Mr. President, May 29 is no more a public holiday. June 12 is now public holiday and the country’s Democracy Day.”
However, the handing over date remains May 29.
According to the Secretary to the government of the federation, Boss Mustapha, arrangement for the celebration has been concluded.
Meanwhile, recall that President Muhammadu Buhari had been urged not to consider including names of persons standing corruption trial and those with corrupt tendencies in his new cabinet.
The executive secretary, Anti-Corruption and Research Based Data Initiative (ARDI), Dr Dennis Aghanya, gave the advice in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja on Sunday, June 9.
He said sidelining corrupt persons yet to be prosecuted and those standing trial would bestow more credibility on the president as one with zero tolerance to corruption.
Aghanya further explained that it would be most expedient to keep those standing trial out of his cabinet to forestall them funding their trials with public funds.
He said: “This has become necessary to avoid situations whereby cabinet members would use public funds to defend their corruption cases pressed against them by the EFCC or any other anti-graft agencies.
“To achieve this, the EFCC and all the anti-graft agencies in the country should also re-double their efforts in the discharge of their duties in public interest to ensure that names of persons in this category are forwarded to Mr. President to guide him in his appointments.”
