The minister of foreign affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, has said that President Muhammadu Buhari is not in any hospital in the United Kingdom but relaxing in the Nigeria House in London.
Nigerians have been apprehensive following conflicting reports about the president’s health status since he embarked on a medical trip to the United Kingdom.
New telegraph reports that the minister explained that the reason why he has not had direct communication with the president since he traveled is because he has not had any reason to do so.
He made the disclosure on Thursday, February 9, shortly after taking part in the ongoing re-registration exercise of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in his Eke ward in Udi local government area of Enugu state.
Onyeama said the noise over the president’s vacation was unnecessary, adding that since assumption of office, the President had “probably rested for only three weeks”.
He said: “The President is in London, at the nation’s official residence in London, not in any hospital. He is in the Nigeria House. And, I know very well that he will be back as soon as possible. In my opinion, we don’t need to make out anything from that.
“When you think of the pace upon which he’s been working, not too long ago, people were saying he was traveling too much, he was not traveling on holiday, he’s been working, and it has taken a huge toll on him.
“After about 18 months, he’s probably not had more than three weeks rest time, that’s not much in 18 months
“As the minister, I spoke to him before I went to the AU summit, we were together actually not too long ago, in Mali, Bamako in the mid-January, when we came back and I had to go to Addis Ababa, while he went to London. We spoke before he traveled.
But since he went on vacation, I’ve not had direct communication with him and the reason why is because I’ve not had any reason to have direct communication.”
He said he could have initiated direct communication with the president if he wanted to, but added that the president went to London to rest and should be allowed his rest.