Make your health status public, douse tension, NMA tells President

Make your health status public, douse tension, NMA tells President

The Nigerian Medical Association, on Thursday, explained why Buhari should disclose his health status to Nigerians.

The President of the NMA, Prof.  Mike Ogirima, who gave the explanation in an interview with one of our correspondents, said Buhari's disclosure of his health status would douse tension and rumours about his well-being.

Many Nigerians, including Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, had asked the President to disclose the state of his health to Nigerians.

Soyinka, at a press conference in Lagos on April 28, said Buhari's failure to publicly disclose his state of health had increased political manipulations in the country.

The Nobel laureate had asked, "Why is the President hiding his state of health? He's supposed to understand he's public property; me, I'm still private property, that's why I'm not in Aso Rock (Presidential Villa).

"Let him address the nation and stop all these speculations which create unnecessary political manipulations among other things."

Ogirima described Buhari as the number one public servant and the father of the nation, adding that he had his rights and privileges.

The NMA President stated, "He is the number one public servant and the father of the nation. He has rights and privileges. It will douse a lot of rumours and tension, if he discloses his health status to the public."

He also faulted the management of the information concerning Buhari.

"The media team of the Presidency is not managing it (information around the President) well.

"To the Presidency, I wish they could manage the information around the President well. To Nigerians, who are concerned, I wish to advise them to be prayerful, particularly for the good health of our dear father of the nation," he stated.

Senate should look into Buhari's health, says Balarabe

On his part, a former governor of the old Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, said the way forward on the controversy surrounding the health of the President was for the Senate to constitute a board of inquiry to look into the issue.

Also, the Campaign for Democracy said the President should properly hand over power to the Vice-President and seek further medical treatment abroad.

Balarabe said on Thursday that the Senate was the only institution with the constitutional powers to resolve the issue surrounding the President's health status, since Buhari had yet to make any comment on it.

He said, "Since the President has not come out yet to say anything on the matter, Nigerians cannot give any definite comment on it.

"The only institution allowed by the constitution to look into the matter is the Senate. The Senate should constitute a board of inquiry to look into the President's health and to tell us what it finds out."

The CD president, Usman Abdul, said, "Why is it that there is a Vice-President? The President should be able to delegate the office to his deputy and openly admit that he is not well and needs treatment.

"His deputy should stay put, rather than the cabals shielding us from the health status of the President.

"It is very unfortunate that a cabal is misleading 170 million Nigerians over the health status of a President we voted for.

"The President should take time, even with the taxpayers' money, and go for proper medication. He should get well and come back to rule the country