Muhamadu Buhari |
The Presidency has ruled out the possibility of President
Muhammadu Buhari resigning his position over his ill health as being suggested
by some Nigerians.
In an interview with journalists in Lagos on Friday, Special
Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, said those
calling for the President’s resignation were merely expressing their opinion.
According to him, the views of over 15 million Nigerians
that voted for the President were more important than such opinions, while
expressing confidence hat God would fully restore Buhari’s health.
The President returned from medical vacation to the United
Kingdom on March 10, where he spent 49 days. And since his return from
vacation, Buhari has been absent at some Federal Executive Council meetings,
including that of last Wednesday, where Vice President Yemi Osinbajo presided.
It was learnt that the President needed some rest and had
“asked that all the files on his table be brought to him at his official
residence in the Presidential Villa.”
Adesina had attended the launch of the book, “Against the
Run of Play,” written by Olusegun Adeniyi, Chairman, ThisDay Editorial Board
and former Special Adviser, Media to
late President Umaru Yar’Adua.
The President’s absence from public functions for weeks
now, has heightened public concerns
about the President’s state of health with some Nigerians calling for Buhari’s
resignation should he be unfit to deal with the rigours of office.
When asked if the President would yield to the calls for his
resignation by some Nigerians over his poor health, Adesina said, “Well, it is
an opinion, but don’t forget that about 15 million people elected the president
so if one or two people expressed their opinion, will their opinions override
that of 15 million people who voted for him? So those who are expressing their
opinions have rights to their opinions.”
Adesina, however, expressed confidence that through prayers
of Nigerians, God would fully restore Buhari’s health.
He said, “Yesterday there was still a press briefing saying
there is no need for apprehension. God spared the president. In the first
place, he said he had never been as sick as he was before, the same God that
spared him will also ensure that he returns to full health. Nigerians prayed,
God answered. Nigerians are still praying, God will still answer. That is all
we believe.”
Meanwhile, President Buhari was on Friday absent at the
Juma’at service held inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The Juma’at has been
the only public function attended by the President in the last three weeks.
The President has been joining Muslim faithful for prayers
inside a mosque near his office since he stopped attending the service at the
National Mosque, Abuja.
Three state governors who probably had planned to join
Buhari for the prayers were however present.
The governors who attended the prayer session included
Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun); Abdulaziz Yari (Zamfara); and Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano).
The governors had on Thursday joined their colleagues for a
meeting of the National Economic Council at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
No official reason has been given for Buhari’s absence at
the prayer session as of the time of filing this report.
Buhari returned to the country on Friday, March 10 after his
49-day medical sojourn in London. He did not attend the Juma’at service that
day apparently because of jet lag.
But since then, the President has not missed any of the
Friday prayers until that of yesterday.
On March 17, Buhari was joined at the service by top
government officials including the Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje;
Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN); Minister of Defence,
Dan Mansur-Ali; Minister of Interior, Abdurahman Dambazzau; Director-General of
the Department of State Services, Lawal Daura; Comptroller-General of Nigeria
Customs Service, Hammed Ali; and the Acting Chairman of the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu, among others.
On March 24, the President was present and was joined by
Magu and Daura among others.
On March 31, Buhari attended the prayer session and was
joined by Ganduje and the Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, among others.
April 7 was not different as the President was present and
was joined by the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki; Katsina State
Governor, Aminu Masari; Magu; Ali and Daura among others.
On April 14, Buhari was also present and was joined at the
mosque by the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai; Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle
Amosun; Malami, Dan-Ali and Magu among others.
On April 21, the President was present and was joined by the
Niger State Governor, Abubakar Bello; Malami and Magu among others.
It will however be recalled that the Presidency had on
Thursday said as eager as the President wanted to be up and about, he had been
advised by his doctors to take things slowly.
In a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the
President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the Presidency however assured
Nigerians that there was no need for apprehension over the state of health of
the President.
Shehu, who noted that the President himself on his return to
the country made Nigerians aware of the state of his health while he was in
London, added that full recovery could be a slow process, requiring periods of
rest and relaxation.
He said, “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, Prof. 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.”
Declare your health status, Soyinka tells Buhari …says
President is public property
Gbenro Adeoye
Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has asked President
Muhammadu Buhari to disclose his state of health to Nigerians, stating that the
President is a public property.
Soyinka, at a forum in Lagos on Friday, themed, ‘Sacred
Cow’, described the speculations surrounding the President’s true state of
health as avoidable.
The Nobel laureate said Buhari’s failure to publicly
disclose his state of health had increased political manipulations in the
country.
Buhari was on Wednesday absent from the Federal Executive
Council meeting and the Juma’at service at the mosque in the Presidential Villa
on Friday.
Soyinka said, “Why is the President hiding his state of
health? He’s supposed to understand he’s public property; me, I’m still private
property, that’s why I’m not in Aso Rock (Presidential Villa).
“Once you are in Aso Rock, or you occupy a similar position,
you have a responsibility to come out frankly to your citizens.
“Let him address the nation and stop all these speculations
which create unnecessary political manipulations among other things.”
The renowned playwright also raised the alarm that his
Abeokuta country home, Ogun State, had been invaded by herdsmen a second time
and that the matter had been reported to the police and the Alake of Egbaland,
Oba Gbadebo Adedotun.
Soyinka had in April 2016 announced that his residence was
invaded while he was abroad.
He accused the herdsmen of invading his sanctuary and
ecological preserve, describing the action as being done with impunity.
He said, “I don’t believe in conspiracy theory but the incidences
that have taken place in the sanctuary are very alarming. The police have the
records.
“They do not have respect for human life; they used human
beings for suicidal bombing, why should they not use cows as suicide bombers?
…I see no other interpretation to all of this than a movement to enslave the
citizens of the country and show that they are masters of the land.
“They are camping not as peaceful neighbours but as
conqueror. One has the right to assume that any cow that comes right to one’s
doorstep is a suicidal bomber.”
Faulting the capacity of security agencies to deal with the
problem, Soyinka said citizens have had to defend themselves.
“Herdsmen are worse than Boko Haram. Some kind of action is
required; maybe declare a day of beef boycott to compel the leadership to take
holistic action,” he said.
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