Health saga: What eminent Nigerians want Buhari to do without further delay will impress you

- Nigerians are concerned about President Muhammadu Buhari's health which is reportedly deteriorating

- Some prominent Nigerians in a joint statement urged the president to take medical leave

President Muhammadu has been asked by some eminent Nigerians to heed the advice of his personal physicians by taking medical leave to take care of his health.

This follows speculations that the president is seriously ill which is why he has been absent at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting and other state functions.

The advice was contained in a statement titled, “President Buhari Should Take Medical Leave Immediately” and jointly issued on Monday, May 1, The Nation reports.

Those who signed the statement were lawyer and activists, Femi Falana (SAN); Senior Fellow Centre for Democracy and Development, Abuja, Professor Jibrin Ibrahim; Executive Chairman, Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL), Mr. Debo Adeniran; Senior Lecturer / Researcher, Centre for Peace and Security Studies, Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Yola, Adamawa State, Dr. Chris Kwaja; Executive Director at Centre for Information Technology and Developmen (CITAD), Dr. Y. Z. Ya’u; ‎Country Director, Search for Common Ground, Mr Chom Bagu.

Others were the chairman, Human and Environmental Development Agenda, (HEDA), Mr Olanrewaju Suraju; Chairman, Partners for Electoral Reform(PER), Ezenwa Nwagwu; Executive Director of Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Mr Anwal Musa Rafsanjani ; Executive Director of African Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), Rev. David Ugolor; a Senior Communication Officer (Policy) in the Operations Communication Department, External and Corporate Relations Vice- Presidency of the World Bank Group. Dr. Sina Odugbem; National Coordinator, Procurement Observation and Advocacy Initiative (PRADIN), Mr. Muhammed Attah, and Executive Secrectary, Socio Economic Rights Project (SERAP), Mr Adetokunbo Mumuni.

The statement read: “When President Muhammadu Buhari was recently in the United Kingdom on a medical vacation, which lasted 59 days, many public officers said that he was “hale and hearty.” But upon his return to the country, President Buhari disclosed that he had never been that sick in his entire life.

“Even though the President did not disclose the nature of his ailment, he revealed that he went through blood transfusion. While thanking the Nigerian people for their prayers, the President announced that he might soon travel back for further medical treatment.

“A few weeks ago, the Governor of Kaduna state, Mr. Nasir El-Rufai urged Nigerians to give President Buhari time to recover from his sickness. The plea was made after the Governor had visited and presumably assessed the state of the President at the presidential villa in Abuja.

“However, due to the apparent deterioration in the President’s health condition, he has neither been seen in public in the last one week nor attended the last two meetings of the Federal Executive Council. His absence at the last Jumat service in the villa has fuelled further speculations and rumours on President Buhari’s medical condition.

“But instead of embarking on a regular briefing on the actual state of the health of President Buhari, officials of the federal government have continued to assure the Nigerian people that the is no need for apprehension over the matter.

“In defending the absence of the President at the last FEC meeting and other state functions, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Garba Shehu stated that “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.

“As we join the Nigerian people of goodwill to pray for a speedy recovery of President Buhari, we are compelled to advise him to heed the advice of his personal physicians by taking a rest to attend to his health without any further delay.”

After requesting a 10 day leave, Buhari had spent almost two months receiving medical treatment in London.

He returned on March 10, though there were insinuations that his return was premature and motivated by political pressure from some of his closest associates.

There were reports that he would return to the United Kingdom to continue treatment for an undisclosed illness.

A statement credited to the senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity, Mr. Garba Shehu stated that “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."

For close to two weeks, the president has not been seen in public, but the presidency insists he is healthy and recuperating fine.
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