Some eminent Nigerians have urged President Muhammadu Buhari to heed the advice of his personal physicians by taking medical leave immediately to attend to his health. They gave the advice in a statement jointly issued on Monday titled, “President Buhari Should Take Medical Leave Immediately”.

They include lawyer and activists, Femi Falana (SAN); Senior Fellow Centre for Democracy and Development, Abuja, Professor Jibrin Ibrahim; Executive Chairman, Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL), Mr. Debo Adeniran; Senior Lecturer / Researcher, Centre for Peace and Security Studies, Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Yola, Adamawa State,  Dr. Chris Kwaja; Executive Director at Centre for Information Technology and Developmen (CITAD), Dr. Y. Z. Ya’u;  ‎Country Director, Search for Common Ground, Mr Chom Bagu.

Others are the  Chairman, Human and Environmental Development Agenda, (HEDA), Mr Olanrewaju Suraju;  Chairman, Partners for Electoral Reform(PER), Ezenwa Nwagwu;  Executive Director of Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Mr  Anwal Musa Rafsanjani ; Executive Director of African Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), Rev. David Ugolor;  a Senior Communication Officer (Policy) in the Operations Communication Department, External and Corporate Relations Vice- Presidency of the World Bank Group. Dr. Sina Odugbem;  National Coordinator, Procurement Observation and Advocacy Initiative (PRADIN), Mr. Muhammed Attah, and Executive Secrectary, Socio Economic Rights Project (SERAP),  Mr Adetokunbo Mumuni .

The advice was given against the background of President Buhari absence at the last Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting and other state functions and in particular, a statement credited to the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Garba Shehu in which he stated that “the president’s doctors have advised on his taking things slowly, as he fully recovers from the long period of treatment in the United Kingdom some weeks ago.

The statement stated I part: “when President Mohammadu Buhari was recently in the United Kingdom on a medical vacation, which lasted 59 days, many public officers said that he was “hale and hearty.”  But upon his return to the country, President Buhari disclosed that he had never been that sick in his entire life.

“Even though the President did not disclose the nature of his ailment, he revealed that he went through blood transfusion. While thanking the Nigerian people for their prayers, the President announced that he might soon travel back for further medical treatment.

“A few weeks ago, the Governor of Kaduna state, Mr. Nasir El-Rufai urged Nigerians to give President Buhari time to recover from his sickness. The plea was made after the Governor had visited and presumably assessed the state of the President at the presidential villa in Abuja.

“However, due to the apparent deterioration in the President’s health condition, he has neither been seen in public in the last one week nor attended the last two meetings of the Federal Executive Council. His absence at the last Jumat service in the villa has fuelled further speculations and rumours on President Buhari’s medical condition.

“But instead of embarking on a regular briefing on the actual state of the health of President Buhari, officials of the federal government have continued to assure the Nigerian people that the is no need for apprehension over the matter.

“In defending the absence of the President at the last FEC meeting and other state functions, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Garba Shehu stated that “the president’s doctors have advised on his taking things slowly, as he fully recovers from the long period of treatment in the United Kingdom some weeks ago.”

“As we join the Nigerian people of goodwill to pray for a speedy recovery of President Buhari, we are compelled to advise him to heed the advice of his personal physicians by taking a rest to attend to his health without any further delay”, it added.