In the wake of the recent report from the Nigeria High Commission in London suggesting that President Muhammadu Buhari’s health has improved significantly, I want to ask, what is the big deal in the president falling sick? Some powerful rulers were sick in the past and their governments did not make any brouhaha on their health condition. The then Spanish president, Francisco Franco (1976), past Algerian President Hoari Boumedienne (1978) and the past ruler of Yugoslavia Josef Broz Tito (in 1980) were sick while in office, and nobody asked them to resign. In America, four of eight American presidents that died in office died of ‘natural cause’ and none of them resigned from office due to poor health. In 1992, President George H. Bush of America suddenly fell ill and collapsed at a state dinner being held for him at the home of the Japanese Prime Minister, Kichi Miyazawa. Barr. Sullivan Chime, ex- governor of Enugu State was sick for almost a year while in office, he was away in China in 2013 for almost four months and nobody made politics of it. President Buhari is sick, we all know that, but the government is working. His policies are on course. The Acting President Yemi Osinbajo and members of the cabinet are working hard to stabilize the country and usher in prosperity. At this period in the life of our nation, let us all concentrate on the president achievements and his sincere feeling to make Nigeria better than he met it.
The irresponsible but irresistible politicians who want Mr. President to resign so that they can restore the abnormality of corruption, impunity and other public vices that had been the hallmark of public offices and officials which Mr. President is laboring to stamp out should know that Buhari may not have lived up to our total expectation of him but he has raised the bar of governance and anybody aspiring to replace him now or in future must come with a good character like Buhari and his vision for Nigeria just as we are seeing in the governance of Lagos State by the successive administrators.
The president is a human being like any other person and so is susceptible to ill health once in a while like everybody else. Besides, where are our pastors and alfas who claim to have spiritual power? In fact, this is the best time for them to test their claims as individuals or team by healing our president.
► Omotunde Adeyemi wrote via [email protected]
Why should Buhari’s health be a major issue?
