The Senator representing Bayelsa East in the National Assembly, Ben Murray-Bruce, has described President Muhammadu Buhari as the most famous health tourist.
The senator, who made the description on his Facebook page on Thursday hailed former President Olusegun Obasanjo for seeking medical services within Nigeria.
He wrote, “A few days ago, I was with President Obasanjo in Bayelsa where he went for his medical check-up. That is a leader who believes in Nigeria. That is a leader who loves Nigeria. Meanwhile, I hear that London would soon have a visit from one of her most famous health tourists.”
Mr Buhari will begin a 10-day leave on Friday (today) in London.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists on Wednesday.
Mr Adesina said Mr Buhari would be away for 10 working days.
He said Vice-President would stand be the acting President during the period.
The statement read, “President Muhammadu Buhari begins a 10 working days holiday from August 3, 2018.
“In compliance with Section 145 (1) of the 1999 Constitution, a letter has been transmitted to the President of the Senate, and the Speaker, House of Representatives to that effect.
“While the President is on vacation, the Vice President will be in acting capacity as President.
“President Buhari will be in London for the holiday.”
By the foregoing, it could be deduced that the reason for the London trip was not clearly stated in the statement, a culture that has for long been practiced by Mr Buhari’s media handlers.
Recall that when the frequency of the president’s London trip began to soar, the opposition PDP had to issue a statement demand explanations as to why Mr Buhari would be frequenting London without any official engagement whatsoever going on there.
The party had asked the presidency to make public all issues relating to the so-called private visit of Mr Buhari to London, demanding a “full disclosure on the scope, purpose, direct destination, duration as well as the cost and source of the funding for this undisclosed tourism.”
In 5 April this year, the party said: “President Buhari is not a “private citizen and cannot embark on private trips wrapped in secrecy, since his upkeep draws directly from national resources and taxpayers’ money.” The statement reads,
“While the PDP has nothing against Mr. President embarking on any trip, we insist that as the President of the Federal Republic, there must be full disclosures to Nigerians because the citizens deserve to know the purpose of the visit and the cost on the nation.
