Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State has described foreign media’s comments on President Muhammadu Buhari’s absence as a disgrace to Nigeria.
Also, former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode faulted the leaders’ role in the president’s continued medical vacation in London, which caused the derogatory remark.
Their reactions followed the comments by U.S-based Cable News Network (CNN) on the continued absence of Buhari from office. In its foreign affairs programme: “The Global Public Square (GPS)” anchored by Fareed Zakaria, he asked viewers to answer a quiz on “The head of state from which country who has not set his foot in his homeland in over two months?”
Zakaria listed Saudi Arabia, Cuba, Nigeria and Syria as options, of which Nigeria was ticked as the correct answer. Fayose tweeted: “I hope those who brought this shame upon our country will be honest enough to apologise and seek forgiveness. We warned. God help Nigeria.”
Fani-Kayode wrote, the “shame that the leaders have brought upon the country would be multiplied a million fold in their lives. We warned!” Another foreign media, the Washington Post yesterday also commented on the issue.
The report said Buhari, who has been out of the country since May 7, seeking medical care in London, was yet to disclose the nature of his condition.
The Washington Post added that the photos from a recent visit by some governors to the ailing president in London were the first images of him since he left the country.
It further stated that the trip was Buhari’s second medical leave to the United Kingdom this year, stating, his previous trip was nearly two-months long.
The newspaper further reported that Buhari’s poor health and absence from the country has raised questions about governance in Nigeria.
According to the publication, former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua had sought similar emergency treatment in Saudi Arabia in November 2009.
He later returned to Nigeria in February 2010, but died in office three months after his return, the report said.
