Minister Lai denies Buhari is sick as President fails to attend FEC meeting

Nigerian Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammad, has said that President Muhammadu Buhari is healthy, in town and would be back to his office later in the day or by tomorrow morning.

Mohammed said this in response to news making the round in some quarters that President Buhari may have fallen ill again and flown out.

Those spreading the rumours said it was for that reason the President was unable to preside over this Wednesday’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) weekly meeting.

However, speaking with State House correspondents at the end of the meeting, Mohammed argued that there was nothing strange in Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo presiding over the meeting in the absence of Buhari.

He then called on Nigerians not to be agitated as there was nothing wrong with the President, explaining that the reason he was not present at the meeting was due to more other pressing national issues he was attending to.

“Clearly when we came in this morning, Mr. President was not in the chambers but the Vice-President did preside over the council meeting. Understandably, that has sparked a lot of controversies and imputations in the mind of people.

“I just want to make this clear that Mr. President is in town. Mr. President is attending to other issues. He looked at the agenda, he found out that it was a very light agenda and decided that the Vice-President should preside.

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“It is not unusual for the kind of interest that is shown especially given the fact that Mr. President was away for a while on medical treatment. We are not surprised that people will be wondering whether he is ill again.

“He is not ill, he is not sick. I am sure that later in the day or tomorrow (Thursday) morning, he will be back in the office. I just want to clear that misconception.

“It is not unusual even if Mr. President is hale and hearty and everything is going on well, for the Vice-President to come and preside over meetings of the Federal Executive Council.

“The fact that Mr. President is not in the office does not mean that he is not working. I have just been told now that the SGF is already with him in the residence working. So, the fact that you did not see him in the office does not mean that he is not working at all,” Lai Mohammed explained.

 

 

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