President
Muhammadu Buhari’s return to work on Monday got off to a limp start despite the
celebrations which accompanied his return to Nigeria on Saturday, his
health
clearly not much improved despite the best spin efforts of the cabal in the
presidency.
Aso Rock
insiders who had been made to believe a rejuvenated and energized President
would kick-start governance with energy and commitment became disillusioned as
they came to terms with the fact that President Buhari is still reeling in poor
health condition.
Several
Presidency sources told Saharareporters that the manipulative cabal managing
the president made a number of moves in the 24 hours preceding Mr. Buhari’s
return aimed at consolidating the fictional story of his having fully recovered
from whatever ails him.
Since
arriving in Abuja however, it has become clear he is in no better shape than
before he traveled, characterized by incoherence and inability to stay composed
and alert for more than 10 minutes at a time before lapsing into some form of
health crisis and serious coughing.
Buhari wore
three different hats today, literarily
The first
assignment of the day, the sources said, was the 7 AM speech which he
supposedly gave to announce his return to the country. But the villa sources
said the speech was pre-recorded, with no one being sure when it was recorded.
But if the
managers thought the Monday breakfast speech would make the president look good
to Nigerians, it seems to have achieved the opposite, many Nigerians condemning
him for failing to speak about his prolonged absence from work and the nature
of his illness.
Instead, the
President addressed perceived division caused by Biafran agitators and the
insecurity caused by Boko Haram. He also vaguely addressed Arewa youths
concerning their ultimatum to the Igbos to leave the north.
While that
effort clearly rubbed concerned and nervous Nigerians the wrong way, Buhari’s
media managers followed up with photos of him signing his resumption letter,
with a very short video clip on Twitter showing him and his controversial Chief
of Staff, Abba Kyari, and another voice in the background giving directives as
to which letter would go to Senate or the House of Representatives.
Later in the
day, the office of the President released more photos showing Vice President
Yemi Osinbajo visiting him for a “briefing”. Presidency sources disclosed that
although the VP was around for close to two hours, there was nothing plausible
to write home about as the President was only “present” for a few minutes,
making the meeting very brief and unproductive.
President
@MBuhari this morning signed a letter to the National Assembly notifying of his
return to work from medical vacation.
pic.twitter.com/WeyBIROxGh
— Presidency
Nigeria (@NGRPresident) August 21, 2017
One clear
strategy by the cabal, our sources stated, was to keep the President from
making offhand comments that could reveal his true health status. That trend
started when President Buhari’s cabal began letting visitors see him in London
after he regained a semblance of normalcy following intense treatment that
lasted for months. The practice has been to release very short clips of him
joking or saying a few words.
In today’s
media game, three different sets of photographs were released to the public
with President Buhari donning three different hats in one day. In some photos,
he looked quite robust, while in other photos he looked decidedly emaciated.
Meanwhile,
President Buhari’s Special Assistant on Media has revealed that Mr. Buhari
could be heading back to the United Kingdom for medical treatment, a decision
many Nigerians have criticized, especially in the light of his failure to
disclose his diagnosis.
SaharaReporters
had revealed that President Buhari’s doctors asked that he remain in London for
another month but his handlers insisted that he come home for the Sallah so as
to maintain his appeal to his base.
Of all the
persons in high office who have talked about President Buhari’s health
situation, the Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal interestingly stated
that that Mr. Buhari needs more prayers, which is contrary to the impression
created by his inner circle that he is completely “recovered”, in effect,
available fully to resume his office.
Analysts
point out that contrary to that impression, it is instructive that it has now
been announced that a leader who is supposedly fully recovered from an illness
will now again work from his residence.
Some aides
have said in that regard that his main office is under some renovation, a claim
our sources dismiss as false.
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