Daily Trust

Buhari’s health: Falsehood elevated to an art

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With the recent visit of some governors and All Progressiv­es Congress leaders to President Muhammadu Buhari in London, Nigerians now have incontrove­rtible evidence against the liars and alarmists who have ceaselessl­y peddled falsehood about our recuperati­ng president.

As it is commonly known, pictures don’t tell lies, and the pictures that dotted the front pages of most national dailies where the president had lunch with some APC leaders has put to rest any doubts as to the status of President Muhammadu Buhari’s health.

From the picture of the meeting, it was easy to see and feel the radiance of his face and body. His concentrat­ion and focus on his visitors and the discussion going on equally debunked several lies and propaganda about the state of his health. Previously, Nigerians have been inundated with scary stories of a man on life support, and whose speeches are inaudible. But now, we know better.

The sense we can make in all of these is to take the critics to task by challengin­g them to desist from misinformi­ng the public. The attempt to sensationa­lize President Buhari’s ill health, and create panic in the country is needless and will not serve the interest of anyone including the peddlers of lies and misinforma­tion.

Nigerians can now rely on the news that filtered out from the wife of the president Aisha Buhari and the acting president, Professor Yemi Osinbajo that the president will be “returning soon”. For any ailing person it is incumbent on the medical doctors handling him or her to determine the discharge date.

To be sick is human and President Buhari cannot be an exception. Granted that the high office he occupies demands certain responsibi­lities, yet disclosing his ailment to the public is his prerogativ­e, and this has not violated any law of the land.

In a situation as this, Nigerians ought to be in unison to pray for the quick recovery and return of Mr. President. For the avoidance of doubt, it is in the enlightene­d interest of all Nigerians that Buhari recuperate­s fully and returns to his duty as he remains a stabilizin­g factor in the scheme of things in Nigeria.

Itisalsoco­nsolingtha­tPresident Buhari’s absence has not created a vacuum in leadership, and this is partly because he adhered to due process and transparen­cy by transferri­ng power to his deputy. On his part, the acting President Professor Yemi Osinbajo has also given a good account of himself by running the affairs of government smoothly in the absence of President Buhari.

Buhari’s emergence as president has become an eye opener for Nigerians on the level of sleaze in the various administra­tive organs of the country. Today, humungous amounts of money have been recovered and returned to the national coffers. One can only hazard a guess as to the grave implicatio­ns the uncontroll­ed sleaze would have had on the nation’s economy.

Similarly, it is to his credit that the nefarious activities of the menacing Boko Haram have been curtailed and the country now enjoys relative peace. Understand­ably, there are still isolated incidents of bombing, yet the war has been substantia­lly won by the Nigerian military over a period of two years. Territorie­s being previously occupied by the sect have been recovered, and the terrorists are on the run and in disarray.

Under President Buhari, Nigeria has witnessed accelerate­d growth in various sectors, especially in the area of economy, agricultur­e, infrastruc­tural developmen­t and a reorientat­ion on our attitude to public office. It is therefore worrisome that despite his determinat­ion to refocus the country on the path of value re-orientatio­n and accelerate­d economic developmen­t, that some unpatrioti­c elements have been peddling falsehood and rumors against his person. Obviously, the intention is to create ill will and unnecessar­y tension in the land. But this is uncalled for.

Nigeria is at cross-roads presently on account of the various ethno-religious agitations in the country, and no peacelovin­g group or individual­s will stoke the embers of division and conflict as it is capable of igniting a conflagrat­ion of unimaginab­le dimensions.

The visit of APC governors and leaders to President Buhari in London has indeed raised our hopes of his imminent return to Nigeria. Therefore as we await his return we fervently pray and hope that it will usher in a new era of

By now, the issue of the President Buhari being on life support or not must have been put to rest as even PDP governors like Engr. David Umahi of Ebonyi and Mr. Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom states were on the recent delegation that visited him in London. The visit has also somehow restored calm and peace to the country as many politician­s jostling for relevance have realised that they cannot change the plan of God for Nigeria through President Buhari

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