Presidential trekking and its impact

Sir: Recently, the media houses in Nigeria and beyond reported an event, which was the trekking of President Muhammadu Buhari that covered 800 metres. According to the media, the President, his party members and loyalists, described his 800 metres movement as a proof to show how fit and ready he is to govern the country for another four years if given an additional opportunity in 2019 presidential election.

Before now, public funds have been spent on the Buhari’s health in a London hospital and many Nigerians have already analysed and linked it to be one of the factors that have contributed to the hardship they are going through in the country. For them, part of the money spent on the President’s health is enough to inject into our healthcare system, thereby putting our hospitals in order to thwart the treatment of our leaders and other Nigerians abroad. And for doing so, things would have been better for the citizens due to the fact that it would have contributed to the growth of the nation’s economy.

However, looking and analysing the 800 metres movement of the President that has recently dominated both the electronic and print media and went viral on the social media, it is very necessary to ask if the President’s action or rather 800 metres walk, was an instruction from his doctor as part of his medical examination and treatment.

Therefore, if not, then, I must condemn it because of the love I have for this nation and for him. Let me advise him not to do it again. It is possible that the 800 metres exercise he performed could trigger his ill-health and put him in a previous condition or even worse, where the public funds meant for the execution of capital projects would be as usual given to the London hospital for his treatment.

Nevertheless, for the sake of making sacrifice to improve the lives of Nigerians, let’s encourage the President to take on another 800 metres walk or more even with his doctor disapproval if only such walk can create jobs for the unemployed youth in the country, provide stable power supply, provide quality and affordable education for the uneducated youth, put a halt to the activities of the Boko Haram and the Fulani herdsmen, end hardship in the country, end bad leadership and corruption, put an end to the traveling of the leaders outside the country to seek for medical attention and treatment, stop SARS, Police, Army and other government owned security agencies from harassing the public and many more.

Awunah Pius Terwase, wrote from Mpape, Abuja.