
More
than 48 hours after he became the President, Buhari and his VP, Prof
Yemi Osinbajo are yet to move into Aso Rock. The head of his media team,
Garba Shehu, on Sunday has explained why and according to him, this is
because Buhari's official residence was not ready for habitation.
Shehu,
in an exclusive interview with Punch said workers were currently
cleaning and refurbishing the President’s official residence. That
Buhari would not move in until that exercise was completed.
Shehu said:
“As
far as the President is concerned, the place (his official residence)
is not ready yet. Workers are cleaning and refurbishing the place. Once
the exercise is completed, the President will move in.”
When asked to be specific on how soon Buhari would move in, Shehu said he believed it would not take time.
Meanwhile,
personnel of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, especially security
operatives are currently at a crossroads on the direction their work
will take this week.
The PUNCH’s investigation on Sunday revealed
that their dilemma was based on the failure of President Buhari to
relocate to the State House and his failure to appoint key aides, three
days after his inauguration.
A Presidency official who spoke with
our correspondent on the condition of anonymity said they were not yet
sure of the President’s schedule and itinerary for the week.
This,
he said, was because Buhari had yet to appoint a Chief of Staff whose
responsibility it is to arrange the President’s day-to-day activities.
He said:
“As we are talking now, we do not know his (the
President’s) activities for tomorrow (today). We cannot plan for his
activities. We do not know which groups he will be meeting or how many
people he will be meeting.
It is when we have an idea of those who
he will be meeting that we can schedule them regarding allocation of
time and venue. These would have been easier for us if a Chief of Staff
is in place.”
A security source also said the situation was affecting
the security department. He said because they were not carried along,
the inauguration gala night held inside the old Banquet Hall of the
Presidential Villa on Friday nearly flopped as people kept trooping in.
He
however expressed the hope that by the time Buhari’s Chief Security
Officer meets with them on Monday (today), there would be a clear
direction on their activities.
“For now, we are waiting for the two
big men (President and Vice President) to move into the Villa so that we
can do our jobs. For now, we are only securing the seat of power
without the men of power,” he declared.