Buhari at Juma'at Prayer

It’s a religious calling; people should not politicise it, says Adesina

Two weeks after he was last seen in the public, President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday participated in Juma'at prayers in Aso Rock mosque.

He was joined by Senator Abu Ibrahim, Senator Umaru Kurfi and the Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, among other personalities.

His appearance in the mosque at 1.20 pm laid to rest insinuations that the president might have been incapacitated following his prolonged absence at the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meetings and his conspicuous absence at last week Juma'at prayers.

Buhari upon appearing in the mosque yesterday, removed

tive non-appearance in cabinet and public meetings had created apprehension in the polity that his health condition might have deteriorated.

But in defence of his nonavailability at state functions, his aides had insisted that the president was acting on his doctors' advice "to take things slowly" as he goes through the process of recovery, after a "long period of treatment in the United Kingdom some weeks ago."

Last Wednesday, following his absence at FEC meeting for the third time, the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, said the president would continue to rest until he had fully recovered.

This comment further fueled suspicion that the government might be hiding the truth about his state of health from the general public.

Mohammed's declaration was coming few days after his media aide, Garba Shehu, had stated

in a statement that whereas it was the desire of the president "to be up and about," he was left without option than to heed his doctors' counsel.

He said full recovery could sometimes be a slow process which he said might require periods of rest and relaxation.

Since the president returned from London on March 10, this year after about 50 days of medical vacation, he had not left the precincts of the Presidential Villa.

Meanwhile, his Special Adviser on Media, Femi Adesina told THISDAY last night that Buhari’s appearance in the mosque yesterday should not be given political interpretation. “He (Buhari) attended today’s Jumaat not because he wanted to allay fears about his health condition. It is a religious thing. We should not give it political coloration. Just as I had said earlier, the President is recovering very well. We should all continue to pray for him.”