Government business took off at a frenetic pace after the 29 May inauguration of President Olusegun Obasanjo. Launching proceedings, Obasanjo made a powerful attack on corrupt contractors, soldiers and politicians to an audience that included international political celebrities (see Box). Within hours of being sworn in as President, Obasanjo had cleared out many of the hold-overs from the outgoing military regime by retiring all the military service chiefs along with the Central Bank Governor and the Police Commissioner. Days later, he had set up two panels of eminent people to probe all contracts awarded this year by the outgoing military regime and human rights abuses during General Sani Abacha's rule, handed over a list of ministerial nominees to the Senate and started going through the country's financial ledger with his economic advisors.