President Buhari leaves for London to seek medical attention

“President Muhammadu Buhari will take 10 days off and travel to London on Monday June 6th to rest. During the holiday, he will see an E.N.T. specialist for a persistent ear infection. The President was examined by his Personal Physician and an E.N.T Specialist in Abuja and was treated. Both Nigerian doctors recommended further evaluation purely as a precaution,” noted Femi Adesina, Special Adviser (Media and Publicity) to the president, in a statement. There have been speculations over the President’s state of health since he shelved his scheduled two-day official visit to Lagos State at the last minute and directed Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo to represent him.

President Buhari proceeds on 10-day vacation, from Monday June 6, 2016—https://t.co/m9o5xOQUUG pic.twitter.com/mclG1qsFtH

— President Buhari (@NGRPresident) June 5, 2016

The Presidency had attributed the development to what it called “scheduling difficulties.” The issue resonated on Thursday when Buhari again shelved his trip to Rivers State during which he would have inaugurated the clean-up of Ogoniland and other oil-impacted communities. He again sent Osinbajo to represent him at the event with the Presidency saying there was no big deal in the Vice-President representing Buhari at functions since “the Presidency is one.” Over the weekend, Buhari again put off his scheduled trip to Dakar, Senegal for the 49th Ordinary Session of the Economic Community of West African States, asking Osinbajo to once again represent him. In all, the Presidency had claimed that the President was “fit as a fiddle” until Sunday when it finally admitted the ill-health. This is the second time Buhari will be proceeding on vacation this year. The President had earlier embarked on a six-day vacation between February 5 and 10. He remained in London throughout the first vacation. He had earlier granted an interview where he said the doctors he had been consulting since the 1970s were based in London.