Fatima Abubakar, the spokesperson for the government's transition team and minister for information, has dismissed claims that there is an agreement to halt recruitment processes during the ongoing transition period. Her comments follow threats from President-elect John Dramani Mahama's Transition Team to reverse what they described as "last-minute recruitments" initiated by the outgoing administration.
Fatima Abubakar emphasised that the operations of the Transition Team do not suspend government activities. "The fact is that the work of the transition team does not put an embargo on the government business and does not oust the authority of the legitimate government that will end at midnight on January 7.
There was no agreement to halt the recruitment or payments by the government," she stated.
She further clarified that the roles of key government entities, including the Finance Ministry and the Controller and Accountant-General, remain intact during the transition. "The [Transition Team] does not replace the mandate of the finance minister to spend, nor does it replace the mandate of the controller and accountant general to pay," Fatima added, underscoring the authority of the current administration.