6th May, 2017
Following my inability to get out of bed early today, I tossed my books aside, pick up my phone and dashed off to social media. After a while of reading some news feeds (react to some that caught my fancy), I turned on my browser to read Newspapers (online) and blogs (for gossips – base on doctors recommendations). One cannot help but sigh and shake head at the various issues, news and articles published on the numerous newspaper websites this morning. Some were build-up stories of numerous sagas and face-off, while few others are just new to the public domain.
In much grief and concern, I dropped my phone for a while and was lost in thought for some minutes. I was thinking about the ‘state of health of the Aso Villa and her chief occupant’. For three weeks now President Muhammadu Buhari has been absent from several regular meetings which he chairs, official and state functions. He has consecutively missed the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meetings and was not seen last Friday for the Juma’at service – this is quite unusual!
Last week the honorable Minister of (propaganda) Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed was quick and ill-advised to informed worried country-men about the health condition of the President. In his words, the “President is fine… he just decides to work from home” – well, being fine is relative. For weeks now (aside from the manage appearance on Tuesday) the President has not been to his office – No one has seen the President in public. It is now clear as day, even ‘the lame in the head’ knows that all is not well or ‘fine’ with our President. It is either the ‘enemy of the state or the beneficiaries of his state of health that will not tell the truth now because no true friends lie to each other- no matter what!
Few Nigerians that have been privileged to either be or work in the Villa knows it take just about 5 minutes for the President to walk from his apartment to his office. So if the Minister was true to his words and we are to believe them, why can’t the ‘fine’ (Healthy) man take just a five minute walk?This calls for serious concern!
Expectedly, the degree of sycophancy in the Villa has been heightened like never before. The enemy of Buhari who portray themselves as friends swoops in day in day out, not to tell him the truth but to secure their interest. The ‘presidency’ is a cabal that is headed by the most powerful man in Aso Rock Mamman Daura, an uncle to President and the controversial Chief of (stay) Staff, Abba Kyari. The cabals that flood the villa know what the stand to gain if Buhari remain in Nigeria, sick or healthy.
The last time Buhari was gone for 59 days they knew what loss they suffered. The power structure shifted from the cabal and some few northern elements to Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo. They were temporarily out of job and business as a result of the President’s absence in the villa. So instead of saving this man they would rather let him ‘import the best brains and equipment’ to the villa for treatment – good riddance!
The President is suspected to be suffering from diseases affecting his digestive system which makes him feeble and not active enough for the vigorous workload embedded with the office of the President. These people as against advice of his British doctors frustrated plans to make him travel to complete his treatment abroad. The cabals, who are rather interested in taking the life of the President, orchestrated a cover-up so as to ensure the true state of the President health is kept secret, because if this is made public, Buhari will be advise (if not coerce) to seek medical attention immediately and they will lose grip of power once again.
Few days ago, the overzealous CSO to the President singlehandedlyexpelled the Punch reporter attached to the villa because he was allegedly trying to raise brows on the state of the President’s health. What he failed to know was that, rather than sweeping the matter under the carpet (a routine duty) he raised dust on the issue. The controversy trailing the Punchman exit of the villa made Nigerians more inquisitive as to what this man (CSO) stand to gain if they (Nigerians) don’t know the truth and or what is really the true state of health of our President.Earlier this week, insiders in the presidency hinted SaharaReporters that the President is having serious difficulty in eating and drinking.
“three insiders in the presidency have told SaharaReporters that President Muhammadu Buhari is being fed intravenously as he has had severe difficulty eating and drinking fluids for several days” as published on Sahara Reporters website. Due to this new development, the President is too weak to leave his official residence to attend official functions.
In consonance with my earlier stance, even the ‘lame in the head’ knows that all is not well with the President!
As a result of this development, the cabal comprising of aides, family members and party giants (leaders) has taken up the structure indirectly issuing presidential orders and directives, ensuring their business is alive. Majority of them are now known as the Presidency, which is why the embattled SGF sarcastically quizzed,‘who is the presidency?’
There is nothing to be ashamed of if the President handlers can come out and tell Nigerians the truth; enough with slim-fitted truth. Nigerians handle it quite alright when he left the shores of this country for 59days when they initially told us he went for holiday (the story later changed anyways). There is no crime in falling sick; everyone does at one time or the other. So Nigerians will move on rather than castigate him for taking ill – who don’t fall sick?
It is believed in some quarters that both the polity and the economy fared better when the President was away and the qualified Vice President took on the mantle of leadership. In acting capacity, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo did quite alright; everyone (except the cabals of course!) was impressed by the way he handled the affairs of the country and the way he never kept President Buhari in the dark on issues.
I know the President cannot see or read this, but the (presidency) movers and shakers of the polity can and will. So I advise rather than continue to allow some few privileged Nigerians act in his stead, the President should write to the National Assembly about the state of his health (and be sincere about it), informing them of his plans to travel to seek medical treatment as well as handing over the ‘Presidencyin acting capacity’ to the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo. Let Buhari go and take care of himself. If they truly love him, let them seek ways for him to go abroad to see his doctors and return in due time when he is ‘fine’ – no matter how short or long that may be.
Nigeria needs Buhari now than ever. He has started this reformation he must surely see it to a logical end. Yes! I have my reservations by the process he handled issues but if this man never became the President,all we’ll do is to keep assuming and imagining the kind of mess we are in as a Nation. The world is watching in anticipationof the true change he and his party promised Nigeria about two years ago. He can’t do this on a sick bed or in the hospital, not even indirectly with the help of cronies and cabal. WE NEED OUR PRESIDENT BACK ON HIS FEET.
#PrayForBuhari
Asojo Olasunkanmi Samuel is a social commentator, writes from Oyo Town.