Sickness Stole 8 Months From Buhari’s Presidency – Adesina

BY EDMOND ODOK – With the May 29, 2023 terminal date fast approaching, Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, has admitted that sickness regrettably stole eight months from the President’s tenure in year

Adesina acknowledged that the eight months spent on treatment in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2017 was quite challenging and presented a serious gap in the President’s eight years term.

The Presidential aide said; “When he fell sick in January 2017, he came back in March, went again in April and didn’t come back till August 19, 2017. About all, eight months.

“That sickness took eight months of his time in the office. Of course, nobody would like that but what we are glad about is that he came whole, sound and better than he went.”

Adesina, who spoke on Channels Television’s programme, Politics Today, on Monday, was highlighting the accomplishments and legacy of the Buhari government in the last eight years.

However, he expressed happines that this setback notwithstanding, President Buhari would be leaving the country far better than he met it when the administration came on board in 2015.

According to him, the President took over a country that had about 17 local government areas overran and administered by Boko Haram terrorists in 2015, but those territories were effectively reclaimed by the government.

Specifically addressing issues around the economy which many insist has brought untold hardship on Nigerians, Adesina said there can be no denying the fact that the country now has a diversified economy given the Buhari administration’s efforts at changing the narrative of Nigeria being a mono-economy.

The presidential spokesman said the gains made over the years in many areas are visible due to the fact that “oil now contributes less than 10% to Nigeria’s GDP.”

However, Adesina, who took on the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto, Matthew Kukah, on his criticism of the administration concerning selling the presidential fleet, argued that President Buhari never promised to sell off the presidential fleet.

Admitting that “In 2015, there were promises made that even the candidate did not know about”, Adesina said selling off the presidential fleet was one of such promises which President Buhari did not make or even be privy to during the electioneering campaigns.

“Those things don’t do credit to Father Kukah’s intellectual posture. He is somebody that we had always admired for his intellectual bent but his opinions have been coloured by politics. He talked about selling the presidential fleet. Was that ever promised?”, the Media Adviser said.

Adesina further stated that his principal would gladly do so if Nigeria’s constitution provides that the president should travel with commercial flights for official assignments.

On the whole, he said the President is generally thankful to Nigerians for the support despite al the challenging times in the last eight years of the administration.