Sceptics who still maintain that Meles Zenawi will possibly continue his residence in Menilek Palace up in Arat Kilo, after his current term comes to an end, may have a surprise in store, gossip claims. Although not many believed him when he repeatedly declared his intentions to leave the Prime Minister’s Office in 2015 – for he had made similar statements in the past only to stay on – this time around, it seems for real, according to gossip.

At least that is what his closet confident from the southern part of the continent of Africa strongly argues, gossip claims.

If, on the other hand, those within the rank and file of the Revolutionary Democrats still harbour doubts about the extent of the imminent rise to power of Hailemariam Desalegn, they too have a bit of a surprise waiting for them.

The signs of Meles’s inevitable departure from and the arrival of Hailemariam Desalegn to Lorenzo Tiezaz Street are beginning to surface, gossip observed. The signs exist in form as much as they do in substance, claims gossip.

It is interesting to note that no senior official of this administration – with the exception of the President and the Prime Minister – has as many security details as Hailemariam now has, gossip observed. Most highranking officials, even those who were in a position of Deputy Prime Minister, have no more than two security details and a driver.

Not only does Hailemariam have four to six at a time, some of his security personnel were once in the closest security ring of the Prime Minister, gossip observed.

Of a more substantive issue, though, Meles appears to be determined to show people around him that Hailemariam is the man he has settled on to handover the custodianship of the great and all too powerful Ethiopian state, gossip claims. Well, some of the guys, such as the one running a railway shop may not come to terms with this. But, no other Deputy Prime Minister since the days of Tamrat Layne have been delegated to handle as much responsibility in the affairs of the administration as Hailemariam has, according to gossip.

Not surprisingly, the administration has bitten off a lot more than it is prepared to chew. There are too many projects of mega proportions, right and left, raising the question of whether their respective management teams serve the same government, gossip observed. Some of them are embroiled in interagency infighting while others are very zealous not to let anyone onto their turf.

In some cases, there are those in charge of mega national projects who have developed a rapport with the chief priest, seeming to have won his approval and, hence, resist supervision attempts from line ministers, claims gossip.

In an attempt to steer clear of all of this mess and streamline coordination among the various national projects, the Prime Minister has recently established five committees, gossip disclosed.

Each committee may be led by a senior minister whose portfolio allows him to have an oversight role. Nevertheless, Meles has made an exception to his usual post at the helm of such a grand position where each committee’s chair reports to him. Instead, he has instructed all five chairpersons of these committees to report to Hailemariam.

Handling this responsibility is not a small feat by any means when added to the latter’s role as chairman of the national council on the Nile, the most complex national, regional, and international politico-economic affair this country has, claims gossip.