Where is President Buhari?

That is the question on the lips of virtually every Nigerian at the moment, as President Muhammadu Buhari seems to have become incommunicado to a nation of about 200 million people.

Shutting the door against the populace may not be what is even distressing but the near inconsistent tale of what is wrong or could have gone wrong with a man on whose shoulders rests the fate of millions of Nigerians.

His absence, and lack of physical communication have thrown up all sorts of conjectures concerning his health status, with the rumour that he is dead gaining more strength with each passing day.

Indeed, his departure for medical vacation in the UK was not without drama just as his request for an extension of stay has also caused apprehensions within the polity.

Though the presidency has not hidden the fact that Buhari has had health challenges, the January 19 trip appeared well laid out with proper notification served the National Assembly, informing the legislators that his vice president, Yemi Osinbajo would act as president for the duration of his vacation.

However, it is the failure of the president to return on February 6, as pre-planned, that has created much discomfort both for Nigerians and his close aides, with the latter struggling to convince the populace on the fate of Buhari.

A formal request to the National Assembly for an extension of his vacation, based on his doctors’ advice, has done little to cure any doubts or worry. And, the gap has been compounded by what many regard as shoddy handling of his troubling absence from duty.

Read also: Stop the lies, CAN cautions Lai Mohammed

Much as Nigerians demand that the president show his face, or speak to Nigerians at least, to assure them that he is hale and hearty, his special assistant on media and publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, rather arrogantly, says he owes no one such obligation.

In an interview with CNBC Africa, Adesina while insisting that Buhari was not in any hospital, said no one can force Buhari to speak.

“The fact that he is a president, he still has his rights. Compelling him to come out and talk will be infringing on his rights. The president will talk if he wishes to. If he doesn’t wish to, nobody will compel him to talk,” he said.

The response itself gave Adesina away as one who was struggling to keep pace with the sad task of shielding the president’s absence from duty. His follow up did him in as he admitted thus in an interview with Channels Television: “Daily. I am not saying I speak with him directly but I am in touch with London daily. People around him, we speak daily.”

Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, faired no better when confronted with a similar situation. Understandably too, he was forced to speak from both sides of his mouth.

In regaling Nigerians how “hale” and “hearty” the president was, he said he spoke with him almost all “afternoon”, on issues concerning the Nigerian project.

While admitting that the president was still seeing his doctors and undergoing series of “tests”, he quipped, “only Buhari would disclose his health status to Nigerians at the appropriate time.” Osinbajo inadvertently opened up himself for further probe as many are struggling to swallow his tale of being hale and hearty with the need for full disclosure of Buhari’s health status.

Perhaps, an even more intriguing perspective was introduced by Abu Ibrahim, Senate Committee Chairman on Police Affairs, who said that, “there was no need for Nigerians to be unduly apprehensive because Mr. President is not sick but exhausted by the weight of the problems the country is going through.”

Are we confronted by talks of insincerity?

Analysts have argued that the double speak from the presidency is evident in the reminder of what happened during late President Musa Yar’Adua’s health saga, when the then opposition spokesperson, and now Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, demanded as a matter of right that Nigerians be given daily updates on Yar’Adua’s health. Many are wont to ask, what has changed?

Analysts have asserted that it is either the presidency is not being truthful with Nigerians about the president’s health status, or there is something they are hiding, going by the secrecy surrounding the president’s whereabouts.

A Commissioner at the Public Compliant Commission in Benue State, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav in an interview expressed disappointment with the Presidency for ‘not telling the truth’ about President Muhammadu Buhari’s health.

Tsav said, “It is natural for the president like any other human being to fall ill, but what is bothering us is that the Presidency should be able to tell us exactly what is happening,” adding that he expected that the Presidency would explain the exact situation to the citizens.

For rights activist, Mr Femi Falana, though the law does not mandate the President to disclose his health status, he advised the presidency to do more in telling Nigerians about President Buhari’s health status.

He argued that citizens would be left with no choice but to speculate, when left in the dark on such a matter, even as he called for a review of the law so that “we won’t be left guessing next time”.

According to him, “This is what has given room to a lot of rumours and speculation which are totally uncalled for”.

As things stand, President Buhari’s whereabouts and health condition remain shrouded in top level secrecy and, for as long as this persists, analysts contend that the rumour mills will continue to thrive unless the government appreciates the need for the president to physically speak, or communicate with the people, pending his return to the country.

 

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