Information minister Lai Mohammed went into “damage control mode” after President Muhammadu Buhari’s empty seat dominated the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Wednesday.
Two weeks ago, the President failed to show at the meeting over which Vice President Osinbajo presided. He also cancelled the one that should have held last week “based on logistics”.
Mohammed had condemned those claimed the President skipped the meetings due to ill health. He said Buhari missed the meetings because he had more important engagements.
Buhari’s empty seat dominates FEC meeting. The information minister apparently swallowed his own words today.
“The President asked that he should be allowed to rest and the vice president should preside,” Mohammed told journalists in Abuja.
“In addition, he also asked that his files be taken home that he would work from home today,” Mohammed said.
So it’s has been about Buhari’s health after all.
Lai Mohammed had said the President was hale and hearty.
Mohammed had, however, said it would be “immoral” to reveal the nature of Buhari’s ailment or say how much public money the government is spending to keep Buhari alive. He said revealing such could even threaten national security.
Buhari spent 49 days in London where doctors attended to his health. He returned to Nigeria but has since failed to feature in public at a time the country needed all hands on deck.
When Buhari’s health episodes began, Mohammed, who said “I don’t lie”, had said “Buhari is not even sick. He’s hale and hearty”.
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