A Non-governmental Organisation, Advocacy for
Advancement of Peace and Harmony in Africa Initiative
(ADAPHAI) on Monday described the continued silence on
President Buhari’s health status as a dangerous political trend
in Nigeria, calling on the presidency to do the needful and
stop keeping Nigerians in the dark.
The Executive Director of the organisation, Mr Olaniyi Owolabi
disclosed this in an exclusive interview with DAILY POST ,
carpeting the Special Adviser on Media to the President, Mr
Femi Adesina on a comment credited to him, where he said
only President Muhammadu Buhari has the right to disclose
his health condition.
Owolabi averred that such statement from the president’s
spokesperson was an affront on the sensibility of Nigerian
people, adding that Nigerians have the right to know the
health status of their president as a matter of importance,
while the presidency as a matter of obligation must disclose
the health condition of the president.
According to him, the “padded information” on the acclaimed
10-day vacation of the president, and the death rumour,
coupled with a letter for extension of vacation on the day the
president billed to return signal a dangerous trend in the
polity.”
He charged both the legislature and the judiciary to rise up to
the situation and compel the presidency to open up on the
medical challenges of the President, as part of their oversight
functions and save the nation from further embarrassment.
Owolabi maintained that the country has gone beyond what is
being experienced now as regards the medical trip of
president Buhari, adding that the era of “executive secrecy ”
is no more acceptable to the citizenry.
“The presidency by its position on president Buhari’s health
issue is retrogressive and dangerous to our polity, Femi
Adesina categorically erred by his statement on Monday, has
he forgotten that president Buhari is a public figure, with
statutory obligation of public life.
” Telling Nigerians that the president reserves the right to
disclose his health condition is nothing but a blunder, it is
indeed an aberration of sort, and affront on Nigerian
sensibility, it is unbecoming of a man of Femi.
“Nigerians should not be made to go through this executive
secrecy again, the country has gone beyond this primitive and
analogue style of governance, where citizens are kept in the
dark on matter of national importance.
” Before calling for unconstitutional doctrine of necessity,the
legislative and judiciary organs of government must
collectively exercise their oversight functions and compel the
presidency to come out plain on what is happening to the
president at the moment and stop taking people for granted.
“As an organisation, the sustainable peace and tranquility of
our country remain paramount to us, it is indeed not
negotiable on any ground, ” Owolabi said.
