President Muhammadu Buhari was on Friday absent at the Juma’at service held inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The President has been joining Muslim faithful for the prayers inside a mosque near his office since he stopped attending the service at the National Mosque, Abuja.
Three state governors who apparently planned to join Buhari for the prayers were however present.
The governors who attended the prayer session included Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun); Abdulaziz Yari (Zamfara); and Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano).
The governors had on Thursday joined their colleagues for a meeting of the National Economic Council at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
No official reason has been given for Buhari’s absence at the prayer session at the time of filing this report.
It will, however, be recalled that the Presidency had on Thursday said as eager as the President wanted to be up and about, his doctors have advised him to take things slowly.
In the statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the Presidency, however, assured Nigerians that there is no need for apprehension over the state of health of the President.
While saying that the President himself on his return to the country made Nigerians aware of the state of his health while he was in London, Shehu said full recovery is sometimes a slow process, requiring periods of rest and relaxation, as the Minister for Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, intimated in his press briefing after the FEC meeting on Wednesday.
He added, “Despite his lack of visibility, Nigerians should rest assured that President Buhari has not abdicated his role as Commander-in-Chief of Nigeria. He receives daily briefings on the activities of government and confers regularly with his Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo.
“His private residence, in which he has been spending the majority of his time recently, also has a fully equipped office.
“God is the giver of life and health. We are grateful that He has seen our President through the worst period of his convalescence in London.
“We are thankful that the President has passed a number of benchmarks already. We pray that God continues to see him through this period of recuperation.”
PUNCH
