Nigerian president’s ill health stokes concerns
PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari had warned Nigerians when he returned from nearly two months of medical treatment in London that he was likely to have to go back. On Sunday night, he did just that. But if few were surprised at his departure – the 74-year-old has barely been seen in public since March – the manner of his leaving gave cause for concern.
The news came just minutes after a hastily organised reception for 82 schoolgirls released in a negotiated deal after being held by Boko Haram Islamists for more than three years.
Presidency spokesman Femi Adesina said Buhari’s doctors would determine how long he was away, making his absence open-ended.
“I have absolute confidence that government will continue to run smoothly while I’m away,” Buhari wrote on his Twitter account after formally handing over power to his deputy, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo.
Buhari’s government has been trying to turn around the economy, which has been in recession since last year, and finally end Boko Haram’s bloody eight-year insurgency in the northeast of the country.
But there are concerns that given Buhari’s personal style of leadership, crucial policy decisions will not be made and his flagship war on corruption will lose momentum.
The gaunt-looking former military ;leader has been under pressure to disclose the nature of his illness.
Political allies and his wife, Aisha, have played down rumours he is too ill to rule.