The Minister of State for Petroluem, Ibe Kachikwu, has disclosed that President Muhammadu Buhari has been holding meetings with top government functionaries and playing some roles, despite being on medical vacation in London.
Kachikwu, who disclosed this while featuring on a programme, BBC Hard Talk, said President Buhari was still capable of issuing policies and approving projects when necessary.
According to the minister, the President’s health makes little or no difference in the running of his administration.
He said, “Yes, he is in London. He is undergoing hospital treatment, (but) I don’t know the details of that and I obviously wouldn’t know.
“But let me say this, he returned from his first trip in London, even though the doctors advised him to have some rest.
“He’s back to London and he has continued some levels of meetings and has been able to play some roles.
“He has a very efficient Vice-President who is sitting in for him in his absence. It really hasn’t made much of a difference.”
Responding to a question about the President’s health, Kachikwu said, “I don’t know. But let’s face it; who in the world goes around giving to everybody what their medical statuses are?
“The doctors have got to be able to release something official and he’s working through it. It has not become a major problem.
“Well, we’ve heard rumours in Nigeria about sick presidents off and on, most of them sometimes not quite correct. Will he be able to lead Nigeria?
“I think looking at the sort of conversations I had with him when he came back, he was strong enough to do his work, struggled a bit in terms of trying to fully recover.
“Nobody plans on illness, it happens. He has an efficient number two man; the system works, that’s the whole essence of democracy.
“He’s on top of his abilities to be able to issue policies and to be able to approve what he needs to be approved.”