‘I have never been this sick’
• To Rest As Osinbajo Continues Acting
• Transmits Letter To N’ Assembly On Monday
• I Had Very Challenging Times In Borrowed Robes, Osinbajo Admits
President Muhammadu Buhari arrived the country after 49 days of undergoing medical treatment in the United Kingdom (UK).
Buhari, who landed at the Air Force Base in Mando, Kaduna and was received by top state government officials led by the Deputy Governor, Mr. Yusuf Bala Barnabas Bantex, wore a navy blue Kaftan and Zanabukar cap to match.
The Air Force plane that conveyed the President, with number N5 FGT, landed at the Air Force Base tarmac at exactly 7:47am.
He alighted from the aircraft at 7.55am and was received by Bantex and other top military officers with handshakes.
He then walked about 50 meters to a waiting helicopter that conveyed him to Abuja.
Speaking to journalists, Bantex said the President was hale and hearty, contrary to speculations, saying: “I am happy to receive him. He is going to Abuja to resume duty.”
In Abuja, Buhari landed at the helipad located within the Presidential Villa at exactly 8:43am yesterday and proceeded to meet and shake hands with top government functionaries.
He was later chauffeur-driven to the First Lady Conference Hall where he held a meeting with the service chiefs and other top government officials.
Addressing the brief meeting, which held in the First Lady’s Conference Room, the President said he had never been so weighed down by sickness throughout his life, both as a young man and as a serving military officer in the Nigerian Army with all of its ups and downs.
“I couldn’t recall being so sick since I was a young man, including in the military, with its ups and downs.
“I couldn’t recall when last I had blood transfusion. I couldn’t recall honestly, I can say in my 70 years,” he said.
The President, who said he received the best of treatment while on medical vacation in the UK, stated that he had also rested as much as humanly possible, adding that Osinbajo would continue while he rests.
He commended Osinbajo for effectively piloting the ship of state while he was away in London, adding: “I am pleased that the Vice-President enjoyed this break and he has to do much more this time around.
“I deliberately came back towards the weekend, so that the Vice-President will continue and I will continue to rest,” he said.
Buhari also thanked Nigerians who he said prayed and continued to pray for his good health while he was away, saying the development was “a testimony that in spite of the hardship being experienced, Nigerians support the government in its efforts to tackle our country’s challenges.”
He added: “The best way for me to pay you all is to re-dedicate myself to serving you, protecting your interest and keeping your trust. I thank you very much.
“I feel much better now. I am feeling much better now. There may, however, be need for further follow up within some weeks.”
Earlier in his remarks during the meeting, Osinbajo thanked Buhari for the confidence reposed in him by handing over the reins of governance to him in the capacity of Acting President.
Osinbajo who admitted that he “had a very interesting and challenging time” while Buhari was away, also thanked the President for what he described as “the good support” while piloting the affairs of the country for the almost two months of acting.
“Mr. President, again, on behalf of FEC, we welcome you back home. We are very grateful to God that you are back home hale and hearty.
“Mr. President, I must say that personally, this has been a very interesting few days for me. First, I want to thank you very much for the confidence reposed in me by handing over the reigns of governance to me in the capacity of acting President.
“I think more importantly is that you demonstrated the belief in our system, which is even more important than anything else.
“The constitution, which we all swore to, is important, because it outlines the code of conduct. I want to say not only am I, but I am sure the entire nation is grateful to you.
“For me, I must say that it has been an interesting period, going around the nation in borrowed robes. I must say I had a very interesting and challenging time, but above all, the President gave us the good support.”
Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Muhammed, described Buhari’s return as a day of joy, saying it has vindicated the government’s position, while also thanking Nigerians for the prayers that kept the government going.
Mohammed thanked Osinbajo for giving the executive a sense of belonging and prayed that God would continue to heal the President Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Gabriel Abayomi Olonishakin, on behalf of the service chiefs and armed forces of Nigeria, thanked God for granting the President journey mercies back to Nigeria.
Olonishakin assured that Buhari’s desires for the country, in terms of security, would be achieved, even as he appreciated the President’s support for the armed forces.
Zamfara State Governor Abdulaziz Yari also welcomed the President on behalf of the 36 state governors.
Adesina, in a tweet on his handle yesterday afternoon, said the President would transmit a letter to the National Assembly on Monday to make his return to work formal and constitutional.
“PMB will Monday transmit letter to National Assembly on his return to the country. That makes his return to work formal, and constitutional, he twitted..
Several journalists, who trooped into the airport as early as 5:00am yesterday, were not allowed access to the tarmac when Buhari landed. Only a few reporters and photographers were allowed to cover the occasion..
Adesina had in a statement on expiration of the 10 days confirmed that the President was extending his stay in the UK to “complete the test circle before returning.”
There were indications that the President might later return to the UK for further treatments.
Specifically, Buhari was expected to resume from his vacation on Monday, February 6, but he wrote to the National Assembly informing the parliament of his desire to extend his leave to complete and receive the results of a series of tests recommended by his doctors.
The Presidency’s failure to come up with a categorical statement on when Buhari would return to the country continued to fuel agitations, with many Nigerians demanding hourly bulletin on the President’s status, as was the case when the late former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua was indisposed.
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9 Comments
The lies of Liar Muhammad and the Yoruba ‘amebo’ in Aso Rock can no longer be hidden. ‘Buhari was hale and hearty’ was their anthem but the blood thirsty leader has decided to confess like a wizard. ‘Never been this sick before’, Nigerians were never killed in their ancestral homes as we have witnessed it in your 2 years because of cows. It is between you and innocent lost souls.
This is not a reasonable thing to say IN THE PRESENT SITUATION because it refers MORE to Buhari in a very insulting and callous way —-“blood thirsty leader ….. like a wizard”—than it refers to Muhammad, and because no one in the position of Muhammad would have said exactly what your health situation was if you were in the situation that Buhari was and he had to tell Nigerians about it.
What you wrote offends our traditional empathy for a sick person, morality in speaking about the ailment in public place, practice of mental reservation when required to speak about it, and value for life.
It is unreasonable to argue that Americans would have told their people exactly what was wrong because we are independent of Americans in the evolution of our own tradition and values, should live by them as sovereign, independent and free people and not like Americans, and because American politics has “CLASSIFIED INFORMATION” which is not consistent with the interest of Americans and not given or dictated by us.
Dear, I will continue to disagree with stories of one life that failed to protect thousands of defenseless citizens that were mauled by such a person’s kinsmen. You think it is possible to mock God. The communities of Agatu, Southern Kaduna, Enugu and others that have lost innocent lives due to this conquest agenda of Buhari are still occupied by cows the beneficiaries of those killings. Don’t worry, continue to condemn voice of decent. The blood of innocent lost souls are still fighting. You never can tell how it will get to you.
I CONDEMN how he dealt with the matter of cattle herdsmen killing defenceless villagers over grazing land ABSOLUTELY. But I am not aware of any “conquest agenda” by him. The killings do not establish that he has a conquest agenda. It is also not established that he is the cause of the action of the herdsmen. The legislation about it that I have heard is disappointing. Knowing that we have southerners in the national assembly I wondered why such legislation was allowed.
Jonathan did not do anything, or reasonably much, about Boko Haram. He even denied its reality and called it political when it was first reported. A group was formed to counter “Bring Back our Girls” group. The Bring back our Girls group was stopped several times making their demand. “Na only yu waka kom” and “There is God o”—his wife–relate to it in a way that expresses insensitivity or indifference. Do these mean that Jonathan had conquest agenda?
While I CONDEMN his handling of killings by the herdsmen ABSOLUTELY, I want the cause of their action established and plead with you not to see it as a conquest agenda by him until that is established. It is also my view that nothing about the mater makes him “blood thirsty leader” or “wizard”.
Finally, I wish to assert categorically that he is failing as a president.
The vexatious thing about dishonest blind political followers is using the former president to defend an obvious wickedness against innocent people in Nigeria. Why will a president watch his kinsmen kill over 6,000 innocent souls of other ethnic extraction and replacing people with cows in their ancestral homes without a conquest agenda as it has happened in Agatu. 1,200 in Southern Kaduna and it is still counting in Southern Kaduna. Boko Haram? Isn’t this same Buhari that declared ‘killing Boko Haram means killing the North? That was after the same Northern leaders declared making Nigeria ungovernable. Then went ahead to kidnap Christian daughters that led to ‘Bring back our girls’. The leaders of that group has been given a Federal appointment in the second biggest money spinning parastatal, NPA. The principal of the school that the girls that were kidnapped is now the commissioner of education in that state. Where then is your power of evaluation? The world has moved ahead of Buhari and his conquest mentality, I don’t know how much you think but that also manifests in what you write for others to read. Thanks
I see non causa pro causa in your views and malice consequent on the fallacy. This is how much I think.
If events known to Nigerians are considered fallacies to you then that manifested your distaste for truth. I do not doubt therefore that you will be at pains with the impact of nature against killers like Buhari. Just watch and see watch divine vengeance means
Buhari dead or alive, is very irrelevant as far as Republic Of Biafra is
concerned. Whatever concerns him is the business of west and north and
their ruined entity called Nigeria, it has nothing to do with Igbos of
Republic Of Biafra. The Official Declaration Of Republic Of Biafra Is
March 15. 2017. Republic Of Biafra is the only hope of their ruined
entity called Nigeria- to get out of recession etc.
Forming a country is hard work. Biafra will be a hard call. Are you cooperating enough now to produce Biafra? In Nigeria we hate being our brothers’ keepers.
Where did you get the idea of proclaiming the Republic of Biafra from? Can Africans carry it out in the USA without any action from the US government? Has there been a referendum on it? Where is the result of the referendum? Take note that real Onitcha people are NOT ndi Igbo. Therefore ndi Igbo MUST allow them their own declaration of a republic—a sovereign, independent and free country/ state. Take not also that the problem of ndi Igbo is ndi Igbo; that is, their radical individualism, materialism, selfishness and fallacious idealism. I am absolutely certain that if the freedom is granted, there will be civil war within three months and it will tear apart in one year in accordance with bia fara.
We will review and take appropriate action.