Buhari absent at FEC meeting – 3rd time in a row

Vice-President  Yemi Osinbajo presided over the federal executive council (FEC) meeting in the absence of President Muhammadu Buhari.

‎Upon his arrival around 11am, Osinbajo took charge at the meeting holding in the council chamber of the presidential villa in Abuja.

Mohammed Bello, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), and Udoma Udoma, minister of budget and national planning, offered the Muslim and Christian prayers, respectively.‎

There had been reports that Buhari would preside over the weekly meeting where key decisions about the country are made.

Buhari had earlier missed the meeting on two different occasions since he returned from a medical vacation in the UK on March 10.

His absence at key functions has raised concerns and fuelled speculations about his health, but the presidency has dismissed reports about Buhari being critically ill.

The president was at his office on Tuesday, and he received Abubakar Malami, minister of justice, and Maikanti Baru, group managing director of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

Shortly after meeting both men, Aisha, wife of the president, spoke about her husband’s health for the first time since he ended his medical vacation.

She thanked Nigerians for praying for her family and said his health condition was not as bad as perceived.