By Abdullahi M. Gulloma
Abuja
The Presidency has assured Nigerians that there was no need for apprehension over the health of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said in a statement yesterday in Abuja that President’s absence at the Federal Executive Council meeting of Wednesday, April 26, was a last minute decision and had nothing to do with ill health.
“As eager as he is to be up and about, 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.
“President Buhari himself, on his return to the country, made Nigerians aware of the state of his health while he was in London. Full recovery is sometimes a slow process, requiring periods of rest and relaxation, as the Minister for Information, Lai Mohammed, intimated in his press briefing after the FEC meeting on Wednesday,” the statement said.
The statement said despite his lack of visibility, Nigerians should be rest assured that the President had not abdicated his role as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
“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.”
