……Nigerians will experience change before 2017 ends
The special adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on media and publicity, Femi Adesina says he does not know if the President uses the Aso Rock clinic at the presidential villa because he has never seen him fall sick.
Buhari is currently on a 10 day holiday in the UK, where he is expected to undergo medical checkups.
He further said that all efforts of the Buhari administration to get Nigeria and Nigerians back on their feet would begin to materialize before the end of 2017.
He made this known while speaking on Sunday Politics, a programme on Channels Television, Adesina said since he had not seen Buhari fall sick, he would not be able to say if the president uses the facility or not.
He added that projections by notable international agencies have also predicted that Nigeria would exit recession in 2017.
“World Bank has said it, IMF has said it and before those institutions, the government has said it,” he said.
Adesina refused to have the Buhari administration blamed for the recession that hit the country saying Nigeria had been ‘primed for recession’ at the time Buhari became President.
“That recession was inevitable (with) the way Nigeria had been run two to four years prior the time we went into recession. There was no way it would not have happened,” he said.
He explained that President Buhari remained committed to correcting the mistakes of the past.
“What he is doing is good governance which will translate to better life for the people. It’s not going to be by a sudden flight, it’s not a magic wand that he will wave – policies that will yield over time and lead to improvements in the life of the people,” he said.
Nigerians have been reacting to the decision of the president to seek medical attention abroad despite the huge amount allocated to the hospital in Aso Rock.
“I can’t say because when the president is at home, I have never seen him fall sick,” Adesina said in response to a question.
“But he has a personal physician who attends to him. But I would not be able to say categorically whether he uses the Aso Rock facility or not.”
He also debunked the rumours on the health of the president, saying Buhari is hale and hearty.
“The true state of the president’s health is that he is not ill. I have been in touch with the president and the people around him today, just as I was yesterday,” he said.
“The president is fine, and don’t forget, the statement we issued said he was going on holiday and during that holiday, he would do medical checkups.
“Holiday first, medical checkup, second, but some people want to turn it the other way round by saying medical checkup first, no it is a holiday… He is 74, even if you are not 74, you need to check your health. So, let’s not use the word ill because the president is not ill.
“You have what is called medical history where you consult people who are used to you, and your health. Before he became president, he was using those people, so it stands to reason that the same people continue to attend to him.”