Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, has hit back at critics who are keeping stories of President Muhammadu Buhari’s reported illness on the front burner.
The minister said some Nigerians are simply blaming the President for being transparent on his vacation plans.
Mohammed said the President could have simply written to the National Assembly, hand over to his deputy and announced his vacation without saying anything about conducting some medical tests.
Mohammed stated this while speaking with State House correspondents after Wednesday’s Federal Executive Council meeting on the interest Nigerians have shown in knowing the President’s full health status.
He insisted that the President is hale, hearty and absolutely in no danger.
He said, “I can say it without any equivocation, Mr President is well, he is hale and he is hearty; no question about that.
“I want to assure you Mr President is well and he is in absolutely no danger.
“Mr. President, like I said elsewhere, is probably a victim of his own transparency.
“He was going on leave, he did what the constitution said he should do, transmitted it to the National Assembly and Acting President was put in place.
“And he said ‘while I am on leave, I am going to conduct some medical tests’ which many, or all of us do without announcing it.’’
Mohammed expressed shock that Buhari was pronounced dead by some people, less than six hours after he arrived in London.
He noted with regret that even those, who saw the President board the aircraft in Abuja en route London, claimed that he was flown to that country via an air ambulance.
The minister said that the Acting President had been speaking with Buhari on a daily basis.
“I can assure you that the President is well, he is hale and hearty and there is absolutely no cause for concern.’’
Reacting to the suggestion that his ministry should be releasing hourly bulletins on the President’s health condition, Mohammed said there was no need for that.
He said, “Mr President is not ill, he is not in hospital and there is no reason to give anybody any bulletin about his health, pure and simple.”
The minister said that all organs of government were working closely with the ministers and going about their normal duties across the country.
