Encomium
Nigerians, home and abroad, have been reacting to the extension of President Muhammadu Buhari’s vacation in the United Kingdom since it was made known on Sunday, February 5, 2017, by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina. This has, however, fuelled the speculation that the President is in a critical health condition.
A lot of people are still doubting if Buhari will return any time soon or even come back, hale and hearty to continue his duty as Commander-in-Chief of Federal Republic of Nigeria.
A cross section of Nigerians ENCOMIUM Weekly spoke to on this poured out their minds, especially on the implication of Buhari’s continued stay abroad at a time the country needs him most. They, however, demanded a statement from him directly as a proof that he’s truly alive instead of all the conflicting press statements from the Presidency and Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed on the true state of his health.
‘They should stop hiding Buhari from us’ – OBI UZOR
It’s obvious now that the man is not well, and his situation is very critical. I believe that’s why they’re hiding him from Nigerians. They should not let it lead to another Yar’a dua. They should make his situation known to us, no one knows where he can get cured instead of hiding him abroad.
Anybody can fall sick or even die. There’s nothing special about that. Buhari is human, he can take ill as well. And no one prays he dies. But inorder to avoid that, whatever is happening shouldn’t be kept secret. They should stop hiding him from the people that gave him the mandate.
That won’t help matters at all. Now, his continued stay in the UK on health ground is deadly to our ailing economy. Nigeria is in a critical situation as well that needs urgent solution. That’s why Nigerians are worried over Buhari’s health and his vacation extension.
Now, no exact date is fixed for his arrival, it’s indefinite. A lot of Nigerians are confused. We need to tell ourselves the truth.
‘He should make a physical appearance if not for more than five minutes’ – EMMANUEL NNANA
Nigerians are worried about Buhari’s state of health now that the Presidency has come out to say his vacation extension is due to health issues which he needs to attend to. Before now, they had told us the truth. Buhari is no longer a private person. As the President of Federal Republic of Nigeria, he is a public property.
We reserve the right to know what is happening to him. It’s not unexpected that a president of a country is sick, but the way they’re handling the situation is what’s irritating.
They should come out and tell us the truth about his health situation. He himself should come out to address Nigerians if not for more than five minutes. That will convince us that he’s alive and capable of continuing as president. His continued stay abroad doesn’t help matters at all.
“I still believe he’s very much alive” – GARBA HARUNA
The fact that Buhari didn’t return to Nigeria as planned does not mean he has passed on as being speculated. I still believe he’s very much alive. All Nigerians need now is to pray for his quick recovery and safe return to Nigeria. But what a lot of people don’t know is that if the man dies today, his burial can’t be delayed beyond what Islam specified.
I think they need to show Nigerians a video where he’s addressing us directly for the people to know the truth about what’s really happening to him. I believe whether or not he’s around, Nigeria remains Nigeria. After all, he handed over to Osinbajo before leaving the country.
‘We don’t pray to have another Yar’adua’ – JOSHUA. I. JOSHUA
The question of whether Mr. President is dead or alive does not arise. The minister of information and president’s special advisers on media and publicity owe Nigerians the truth as a matter of duty about the state of health of our dear president. As a matter of fact, nothing worries me in particular but just the truth about his health status at the moment. After all, Buhari is our president, he’s no longer a private person.
That’s how the late President Umar Yar’adua was covered only for them to shamefully own up what they had denied.
‘They should let Buhari address us personally’ – OLUSOLA MAYOWA
As far as I am concerned, I don’t believe the man is alive because if he is, they don’t need to be hiding him from us. That’s how they lied about Ya’ardua till he died. Only God knows whether Buhari is on life support machine now, and his men are just deceiving Nigerians.
If he’s alive, they should allow him address all Nigerians home and abroad. We want to see him physically. His vacation extension is worrisome if he’s alive truly.
- TADE ASIFAT
