President Muhammadu Buhari’s health has improved significantly, although only his physicians can determine when he will return to Nigeria and to work, PREMIUM TIMES has learnt.
“Oh yes; we thank God,” a source in the Nigeria High Commission in London, United Kingdom, told this newspaper when asked if the president’s health had improved substantially.
“He is doing very good; he is ok but his doctors will determine (when he will return).”
The official, who sees Mr. Buhari regularly, asked not to be named because he had no permission to discuss the president’s condition with journalists.
Mr. Buhari left the country for London on May 7 to continue with his medical treatment. He had returned to Nigeria on March 10 after spending 51 days in the British capital during attending to his health.
Upon his return, the president said he
“couldn’t recall being so sick since he was a young man, including in the military with its ups and downs.”
He also said he could not recall ever having blood transfusion before.
The president also hinted that he would return to the UK for further treatment.
“I’m feeling much better now. There may, however, be need for further follow up within some weeks,” Mr. Buhari had said while addressing the country.
However, as soon as he returned to the UK about two weeks ago, there were rumours that he had passed on.
An SMS announcing his death soon went viral. The text read,
“Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has been confirmed dead in London where he was receiving medical attention…. The Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom told reporters plans are underway to transport the body of the late President to Abuja where final burial funeral rites will be held…
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is expected to be sworn in office as the substantive President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Government is yet to issue an official statement on the President’s demise. He was 74 years old.”
Our source expressed sadness that some Nigerians could wish the president dead, saying
“(it is) sad that any human being will wish another dead.”
He continued,
“It’s sad but God is all seeing and will always suffice and to Him we submit all our affairs. They have failed and will continue to fail.”
On the calls for Mr. Buhari’s resignation on the ground of poor health , the source said,
“Well that’s their problem because it is God that gives power and takes it when He so wishes and not anybody else.”
When asked if the president’s health was now better than he left home, our source who sees Mr. Buhari regularly retorted, “Of course, yes.”
He said the president is largely stable and is able to regularly and promptly observe his five-time daily prayers.
When told that those calling for Mr. Buhari’s resignation believed he was too sick to ever govern again, the source said, “That’s the view of those arrogating God’s power to themselves and would surely regret it, Insha Allah.”
Source
Premium Times
President Muhammadu Buhari arrived Kaduna Air Force Base today Friday March 10th 2017 at
exactly 7:40am (Nigerian Time). The Nigerian Air Force 001 [Eagle] took off from London Airport and landed safely in Kaduna, where be was received by Acting Governor Barnabas
Yusuf Bala and senior KDSG officials, before the President was airlifted in a chopper to the Presidential villa Abuja.
The Government and people of Kaduna State were proud to receive our First Citizen
back to his home to face the task of rebuilding Nigeria.
In the below photos, President Muhammadu
Buhari is pictured disembarking from the Airforce 001 after arrival at the Kaduna
aiport. He was received by Deputy Governor Bantex, service chiefs and other
dignitaries.
A very pretty Nollywood actress, has been spotted in the streets of the commercial city of Lagos, carrying a placard while urging people to pray for President Muhamma Buhari.
Popular Nollywood actress of Yoruba decent, Lizzy Anjorin, has been captured on camera asking Nigerians to pray for President Muhammadu Buhari, who is away in the United Kingdom on extended vacation.
The actress made this call in a video posted on her Instagram page with the caption;
“Either you voted for him or not, He needs our prayer..lets show some love plz.”
We just learned from reliable sources at the Nigerian Presidency that President Muhammadu Buhari, who has been in the UK since January 19, is receiving “intense treatment” for a renewed flare-up of prostate issues. He had undergone surgical treatment for prostate cancer soon after losing the 2011 presidential election to former President Goodluck Jonathan.
In addition to his UK doctors, President Buhari has been under the care of two Nigerian physicians, Dr. Suhayb Sanusi Rafindadi, who is his Chief Personal Physician, and Dr. Ugorji Ogbonna, who had a medical practice for many years in Kano before relocating to the UK. Even though he is from the southeast of Nigeria, Dr. Ogbonna is very close to numerous powerful northern politicians, and one of his sons converted to Islam, according to a source. While Dr. Rafindadi accompanied the president on his medical trips abroad and Dr. Ogbonna often liaise with Mr. Buhari’s physicians in the UK to arrange for his treatments.
Our sources indicated that Mr. Buhari’s original surgical treatment for prostate cancer had been declared successful. However, when a nagging ear infection forced President Buhari to visit his longtime physician in the UK last year, the prognosis led the president to seek two separate medical opinions, in France and later Germany. Doctors in both countries reportedly told him it was urgent to see his doctors in the UK. Subsequently, Mr. Buhari, who was visiting France for a conference, moved from Paris to London, declaring that he needed a vacation.
Mr. Buhari’s UK doctors advised that he needed to stay put in London for another surgery, but the president bowed to pressure from members of his inner circle and decided to make a premature return to Abuja out of political expediency. However, before President Buhari left London, his doctors there removed polyps from his nostrils in a surgical procedure to ease his breathing.
In 2016, President Buhari made trips to the UK in February and June to consult his UK doctors on a variety of health issues, including his ear infection, said our sources.
Our source learned that President Buhari currently receives intense treatment for a prostate-related ailment. The treatment at a point severely affected his voice and appetite. He has progressively lost weight and has had to be force-fed on occasion on the orders of his doctors. One source said Mr. Buhari’s treatments had been compounded by his age, which his UK doctors believe to be more than 80 rather than his official “age” of 74 years old.
Information gleaned from our sources indicated an attempt to obfuscate the precise nature of Mr. Buhari’s illness, signaling efforts by competing factions around the president to keep the Nigerian public uninformed. According to our sources, four different versions of President Buhari’s condition were being circulated. One version, traced to his wife, Aisha Buhari, is that the president has “internal organ” issues.
Our sources disclosed that a cabal led by President Buhari’s cousin, Mamman Daura, reportedly sent Mrs. Aisha Buhari away from the UK, asking her to make a temporary visit to Saudi Arabia. To justify Aisha Buhari’s exit from London, Mr. Daura reportedly claimed that the president’s condition appeared to worsen each time his wife was around him. He reportedly told Mrs. Buhari that part of her husband’s illness was a result of “a spiritual attack,” and asked her to proceed to Saudi Arabia to pray for him. From Saudi Arabia, Mrs. Buhari returned to Nigeria about two weeks ago. One source claimed that she had not returned to London ever since.
Our sources said Mr. Daura often handled the daily briefing of select Presidency officials about the president’s health. According to them, the president’s cousin continues to claim that Mr. Buhari was only exhausted and needed adequate rest before returning to Nigeria ready to take over the mantle of leadership once again.
Speaking anonymously with our source, two close aides claimed that President Buhari was dogged by “severe stomach upsets” that have refused to go away. One of them said Mr. Buhari suffered from a recurring bacteria infection “that is being flushed out daily.”
As it was revealed last weekend, the doctors treating Mr. Buhari in the UK have told him in clear terms that he ought to shelf any plans to return to serious work and stay back in London for as long as four months to receive a full course of treatment. One source indicated that members of the president’s inner circle were yet to fully embrace the doctors’ recommendation and communicate the information to Nigerians because they fear the loss of political influence.
On his part, President Buhari had reportedly told his inner political circle that he was in no hurry to return to Nigeria, adding that he was willing to let the expert advice of his doctors to prevail. However, some of his die-hard associates have not given up plotting to daily to convince him to return to Abuja in defiance of medical advice.
President Buhari reportedly communicates regularly with Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, encouraging him to carry on the task of governing Nigeria while he undertakes necessary treatment needed to keep him alive.
Source
Sahara Reporters
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, says President Muhammadu Buhari is neither critically ill nor in life threatening situation. In addition, he says there is no cause for alarm about the President’s health.
The minister reiterated this position on Monday in Umuahia at the second town hall meeting for the South East and the launch of national reorientation campaign, “Change Begins With Me’’ in Abia.
The minister, who was asked to tell the country about the health condition of the president and whether there was need for a regular briefing on his health stressed that there was no reason for such briefings.
Mohammed disclosed that the president spoke with him on Saturday in the afternoon and there was no reason for Nigerians to be worried.
“I can say here very boldly and confidently that there is absolutely no cause for alarm.
“Mr president called me at 2.43 p.m. on Saturday and we spoke.
“If Mr president is in the hospital or is critically ill, as minister of information, I will give daily bulletin on his health.
“Mr president is neither critically ill nor in the hospital and there is nothing life threatening about the checks he is going through,’’ he said.
Speaking on the state of the economy, the minister said that it was corruption that made the prices of commodities to go up.
He noted that no economy in the world could survive the blind and reckless looting perpetrated by the previous administration.
“If one person was found with almost 10 million dollar in an uncompleted house and another with 136 million dollar in fake account and other with N7 billion how can the economy survives the kind of looting.
“Naturally the price of commodities will go up.
“These are funds meant for development of infrastructure and for provision of services.
“That is why you cannot do anything with the economy without first facing corruption squarely.
“But the good news is that the government is doing both together, as we are fighting corruption, we are also making sure that we are ensuring we are out of recession by investing heavily on infrastructure.
Mohammed also pacified the audience who lamented the spate of attacks on farmers by the herdsmen.
He said contrary to the position of some elements who want to destroy the unity of the country, the government was not supporting any section of the country against the other.
He said it was purely security issue and it was being handled from both the federal and the state levels.
“I want to make the appeal that the strength of Nigeria is in its diversity and unity.
“We have been living together peacefully before and we shall continue to live together peacefully,’’ he said.
Femi Adesina, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President has said the period of extension of President Muhammadu Buhari’s vacation in London was not specified because “there is no vacuum in government’’.
Adesina, who stated this in an interview with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) on Sunday night, said the time was not stated so as enable the president to get clean bill of health from his doctors.
He said the president has already transmitted power to the Vice-President who had been performing his constitutional duties as acting president.
According to Adesina, with the extension of his vacation, President Buhari now has adequate time to rest before he returns home.
“When he was leaving on January 19 we announced that it was a vacation during which he would also do routine medical check-ups.
Now, those check-ups have thrown up things that need to be further looked at and that is why he is asking for this extension of the vacation.
The time is not stated and that reason is not far to seek because Mr President transmitted power to his vice, who is now the acting President.
So, he does not need to be under that pressure of time again because there is no vacuum in government, there is an acting president.
Therefore, the doctors can now exhaustively look at him and give him a clean bill of health before he returns home,” he said.
On those spreading dangerous rumours on the president’s health conditions, the presidential aide urged them to desist from such ungodly acts.
He charged them to always pray for the good health of the president and have goodwill toward their fellow human beings.
“My message will be what I also said before, goodwill, let us have goodwill towards our president. We as human beings must have goodwill towards one another. Any man can be sick; any man can get well; any man can even die, we are mortals. Anybody can die; anybody falls sick can also get well. Therefore, all those who peddle those evil, mischievous, malicious and malevolent rumours on social media need to have a rethink. Instead of all those evil wishes they should have goodwill towards the president,’’ he added.
Adesina in an earlier statement disclosed that President Buhari had written the National Assembly, informing it of his desire to extend his leave in order to complete and receive the results of a series of tests recommended by his doctors.
“The President had planned to return to Abuja this evening, but was advised to complete the test cycle before returning. The notice has since been dispatched to the Senate President, and Speaker, House of Representatives. Mr. President expresses his sincere gratitude to Nigerians for their concern, prayers and kind wishes,” a statement earlier issued by Adesina had said on Sunday.
President Muhammadu Buhari left Abuja for the United Kingdom on January 19 on a short leave, which is part of his annual vacation.
The President formally handed over mantle of leadership of the country to his Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.
MEMBERS of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) are billed to meet in Abuja today, to discuss the growing tension associated with the 10-day annual leave of President Muhammadu Buhari. Sources in the polity told our source that the governors had been asked to arrive in Abuja on Wednesday, while the meeting would take place today.
The rumour mill had indicated on Wednesday that the president’s health might have deteriorated, following an alleged move by some forces to get Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo to resign. But the Presidency denied the information on Wednesday, adding that no one was prevailing on the acting president to resign.
Also, the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, threatened action against originators of death rumour of the president, insisting that President Buhari was hale and hearty.
According to the information, some governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC) had visited the Presidential Villa to compel Vice-President Osinbajo to resign the position of acting president, but the Presidency also dispelled the rumour.
Sources close to the APC told the Nigerian Tribune that the governors had started arriving in Abuja, in readiness for the meeting scheduled for today. It was also gathered that governors of the APC met in Abuja on Wednesday night. The agenda of the meeting was, however, not known as of press time.
A source also said the meeting would discuss the possibility of sending a delegation to visit the president in London, United Kingdom (UK). Zamfara State governor and chairman of the forum, Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari, is expected to preside over the meeting which sources said was called to dispel the growing tension and avail the governors the opportunity of the true situation of things as regards the president and the Presidential Villa.
“A number of our colleagues have been bombarded with calls by concerned citizens about what they are reading on the social media about the president. It is incumbent on the NGF to take concrete steps to stabilise the situation. Remember that the forum did the same during the tenure of the late President Umaru Yar’Adua,” a source said.“The situation needs clarifications. We can’t afford our citizens to be in the dark that is why we are meeting on Thursday,” a source said.
Speaking on plans by some governors to force Osinbajo to resign, the Presidency, in a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Political Affairs, Femi Ojudu, said it was not true.
In the statement entitled: “State of the Nation,” the presidential aide assured that Osinbajo was behind his desk in his office and performing his routine functions, having earlier presided over a meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
He said the claim was ridiculous and urged people to desist from carrying fake news.
“I have read many ridiculous stories saying the Vice President, Professr Yemi Osinbajo, is being held hostage by some governors who are trying to compel him to resign.
“I have equally received several calls regarding this. The story is simply not true. It is a fabrication. Don’t be a purveyor of fake news.
“The Vice President is behind his desk carrying out his task. The Federal Executive Council presided over by him has just ended and he has been busy receiving visitors and holding meetings,” he said.
As of the time of filing this report, only the governor of Jigawa State, Badaru Abubakar, had visited the acting president on Thursday. The Federal Government also said the source/sources of the fabricated messages on the health of President Muhammadu Buhari, who, he said, was hale and hearty, was being investigated, warning that the authors should prepare to face the consequences of their actions.
It said while government would neither stifle press freedom nor abridge the citizens’ right to express themselves freely, whether through criticism or protests, adding, however, that the security agencies would neither allow any resort to violence nor a willful subversion of the state for whatever reason.
The government urged Nigerians to disregard what it called subversive messages being circulated via text messaging and the social media. Minister of Information and Culture, Mohammed, in a statement, said the fabricated messages were being orchestrated by those who felt threatened by the emerging order.
In the statement, the minister said there was no iota of truth in the messages being circulated.
President Buhari traveled last week Thursday to the United Kingdom on a 10-day leave where he is also scheduled to see his doctors, but the social media Is awash with reports about his worsening state of health since he traveled, forcing the Presidency to make clarifications on two occasions.
Source
Nigerian Tribune
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has reacted to recent claims by some news sources that President Buhari was rushed to a hospital in London.
On Wednesday, news circulated that President Muhammadu Buhari was rushed to Kings Hospital in the United Kingdom on a life support machine following a serious illness.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has reacted to the news. In a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja, the minister urged Nigerians to disregard the subversive messages being circulated via text messaging and the social media, saying the fabricated messages are being orchestrated by those who feel threatened by the emerging order.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Mohammed said there is no iota of truth in the messages being circulated on the health of the President, who is hale and hearty, and the purported emergency meetings of the State Governors in Abuja or anywhere.
He said the naysayers have also resorted to the use of ethnicity and religion as tools to divide Nigerians, overheat the polity and cause panic among the citizenry, in addition to using fake news and disinformation to distort government activities.
Alhaji Mohammed said while opposition and criticism are all part of democracy, the crafting and circulation of subversive materials and scare-mongering are not, hence the full wrath of the law will be brought to bear on those who are bent on subverting the state.
”The source/sources of the fabricated messages are already being investigated and the authors should prepare to face the consequences of their actions.”The emerging trend of resorting to destabilisation and scare-mongering is not unexpected, considering this government’s clamp-down on the corrupt elements in the society, the plugging of all financial leaks which has derailed the gravy train of the looters of public treasury and the enthronement of probity and transparency in the polity.”While we will neither stifle press freedom nor abridge the citizens’ right to express themselves freely, whether through criticism or protests, the security agencies will neither allow any resort to violence nor a willful subversion of the state for whatever reason,” he warned.
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