Garba Shehu: Buhari hasn’t recovered fully… doctors advised him to slow down

Garba Shehu, presidential spokesman, says President Muhammadu Buhari’s doctors have advised him to take things slowly as he fully recovers from the “long period of treatment in the United Kingdom”.

On Wednesday, the president was absent at the federal council meeting (FEC), fuelling speculation that he was ill.

But in a statement on Thursday, Shehu said there was no need for apprehension over the health of the president.

“The presidency hereby assures the good people of Nigeria that, despite the insinuations of a number of media organisations, there is no need for apprehension over the health of our President, Muhammadu Buhari,” he said.

“President Buhari’s absence at the federal executive council meeting of Wednesday, April 26, was a last minute decision; otherwise, the cabinet and the public might have been alerted in advance. As eager as he is to be up and about, the president’s doctors have advised on his taking things slowly.

“President Buhari himself, on his return to the country, made Nigerians aware of the state of his health while he was in London. Full recovery is sometimes a slow process, requiring periods of rest and relaxation, as the minister for information, Lai Mohammed, intimated in his press briefing after the FEC meeting on Wednesday.”

The presidential spokesman assured Nigerians that Buhari was still in charge of the country, and that he receives daily briefings on the activities of the government.

“Despite his lack of visibility, Nigerians should rest assured that President Buhari has not abdicated his role as commander-in-chief of Nigeria. He receives daily briefings on the activities of government, and confers regularly with his Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo,” he said.

He said the president’s private residence, in which he has been spending the majority of his time recently, was a fully equipped office.

“God is the giver of life and health. We are grateful that He has seen our president through the worst period of his convalescence in London. We are thankful that the president has passed a number of benchmarks already. We pray that God continues to see him through this period of recuperation,” he added.