President Muhammadu Buhari, against permutations and conjectures that he might be flown abroad for another round of medical vacation returned to his table on Tuesday. He quickly held meeting with the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami and the Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Cooperation (NNPC), Maikanti Baru.
Since the President returned to Nigeria in March, after spending over 50 days in London, taking care of his health, he had hardly appeared in public, except for Jumat prayers at the Presidential Villa, fuelling speculations that his health is failing.
Despite assurances by his minders that there is no cause for alarm, the growing agitation within the polity by Nigerians seeking his whereabouts, grew louder, with former National Chairman of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Chief Bisi Akande and renowned lawyer, Femi Falana, both strong supporters of the President joining in the call for him to disclose his health status ad proceed on medical vacation.
While Akande called for a national prayer for the President, warning that his poor health was taking a toll on the affairs of the country, Falana and some prominent civil society activists called on him to take a leave to attend to his health, he (President) failed to show up for Monday’s May Day celebration.
Malami, told State House Correspondents, after meeting the meeting that he was at the Villa to confer with the President and brief him on how far the investigation into the $50million found in an Ikoyi apartment, being claimed by the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), and that of the contract award by the Secretary to the Government of the General of the Federation (SGF) was going.
He said the final report of the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo-headed committee probing the suspended (SGF) David Babachir Lawal, Director General of the NIA, Ayo Oke, would be submitted on Wednesday.
“I briefed Mr President on the state of the NNPC and its subsidiaries and also nationally to get him briefed on the situation of fuel supply, crude oil productions, gas production and by extension, ability to supply gas to the power sector.
“We had an extensive briefing as you could see; I passed here over two hours. I spent quite some time with him to discuss these national issues.
“He was happy with the state of the corporation and told us to continue with the efforts that we are doing and if we need any executive attention we should not hesitate to come back to him”.
