Anxiety mounts in Aso Rock over Buhari's health

- President Buhari's limited public appearance has
raised anxiety
- The president has only been seen at Jumat services
- There are concerns about the true state of the
president's health

The state of health of President Muhammadu
Buhari Buhari is beginning to stir anxiety in Aso
Rock Villa as the president’s public appearance
has been limited.
President Buhari returned from the UK where he
had gone on medical vacation on March 10 and
since then, his appearance has been limited to
his office while only being seen at Jumat services
The Punch reports that presidency sources
confirmed that Buhari’s limited appearance at
public services was due to his ailing health and
that the president needed more rests.
“It is no longer news that the President has been sick. His ill
health coupled with his age is responsible for the scaling
down of his activities.”
It has also been observed that most of the
president’s assignments were transferred to vice
president, Yemi Osinbajo and this has further
fuelled speculation about the president’s health.
Although some government officials have met
the president in his office, the lack of photo and
video evidence which used to be the norm has
raised questions about whether they truly met
him.
Mr. Usani Usani who is the minister of Niger
Delta affairs confirmed meeting the president
and said those who felt otherwise were entitled
to their opinion.
Junaid Mohammed who has been a staunch critic
of the Buhari administration said Nigerians have
a right to know how their leader was doing.
He said: “ The Presidency needs to tell the truth. It is
disingenuous and not good for the country for the people to
be told lies about their president.
“We need to know the truth and not be told lies. People
have genuine cause to be worried because they don’t see
their president as they should. Knowing about the health of
the President is not a personal issue; it is of public interest.
Nigerians are genuinely concerned.”
Yerima Shettima who is the leader of the Arewa
Youth Consultative Forum said the president was
not elected to stay indoor.
"Nigerians want to see the President they voted for.
Nigerians want to know the status of his health. We are
praying for him to get better but nobody should hide him
from us. We are worried. It is disturbing and worrisome
that we have not seen him in public and that we do not
know his exact health status. Nobody should hide him away
from us because we feel he has been kidnapped from
Nigerians. He is being treated with taxpayers’ money so
they deserve to know the status of his health.
“It is sad that against all odds, a cabal in the government
has turned Buhari to a private property. But Buhari is a
public property as an elected president of the country.
Tradition and constitution demand that we should know
about his health. No one has the right to hide him from us.
We are concerned; we are worried. We feel that our
mandate is being hijacked by some people. The electorate
must know what has happened to their mandate."
Femi Adesina who is the spokesperson to the
president however insisted the president was
fine but was only recuperating.
He said: “The President is recovering, and our prayer is
that he returns to full heath soon.
“On arrival in the country on March 10, he (Buhari) said he
would still travel at a later time. No date was given, but be
assured that when it’s time to travel, the country would be
told.
“The President is a plain and straightforward person.”