Unic Press UK: Nigeria president Muhammadu Buhari, who had rarely appeared in the public after spending circa 50 days [from 19th January 2017 to 10th March 2017] in the United Kingdom on medical grounds, was conspicuously absent at Friday prayers at the Aso Rock mosque in the presidential palace.
Buhari’s absence from this week’s Friday prayers has raised further concerns over his state of health. After his return from the UK in March, he had been absent from the Federal Executive Council meetings several times. He is ‘obviously’ unwell, though the Nigerian government has yet to publicly declare his health condition.
Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka reiterated his call on the President to disclose his state of health because he is a public property by virtue of the fact that he is the elected president of Nigeria.
In a press release on Thursday, the 27th April 2017, the senior special assistant to the President on media and publicity, Garba Shehu set forth to douse apprehension of many Nigerians, saying:
“The Presidency hereby assures the good people of Nigeria that, despite the insinuations of a number of media organisations, there is no need for apprehension over the health of our President, Muhammadu Buhari.
“President Buhari’s absence at the Federal Executive Council meeting of Wednesday, April 26, was a last minute decision; otherwise, the cabinet and the public might have been alerted in advance. As eager as he is to be up and about, the President’s doctors have advised on his taking things slowly, as he fully recovers from the long period of treatment in the United Kingdom some weeks ago.
“President Buhari himself, on his return to the country, made Nigerians aware of the state of his health while he was in London. Full recovery is sometimes a slow process, requiring periods of rest and relaxation, as the Minister for Information, Lai Mohammed, intimated in his press briefing after the FEC meeting on Wednesday.
“Despite his lack of visibility, Nigerians should rest assured that President Buhari has not abdicated his role as Commander-in-Chief of Nigeria. He receives daily briefings on the activities of government, and confers regularly with his Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo. His private residence, in which he has been spending the majority of his time recently, also has a fully equipped office.
“God is the giver of life and health. We are grateful that He has seen our President through the worst period of his convalescence in London. We are thankful that the President has passed a number of benchmarks already. We pray that God continues to see him through this period of recuperation.”
