Femi Adesina, the special adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, has defended his principal’s constant trips to the United Kingdom for medical treatment.
While speaking in a Channels TV interview, Politics Today, Adesina said on Tuesday that Buhari has his medical team in the United Kingdom and had been using the team for 40 years.
“President Buhari has been with the same doctors and medical team for upward of 40 years,” he said when asked why the President couldn’t have been treated in Nigeria.
“It is advisable that he continues with that who knows his medical history and that is why he comes to London to see them. He has used the same medical team for over 40 years. Once you can afford it, then stay with the team that has your history.”
When asked if the President would pilot the nation’s affairs from the UK, the presidential spokesman said there is no vacuum within the seat of power.
He explained that the Constitution empowers Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to act as President if President Buhari is not back to the country within 21 days.
“The nation is running, there is a vice president who will attend to critical issues. There is no vacuum and a constitutional amendment has sorted that out,” Adesina explained.
Top officials that accompanied Buhari on the trip included the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, and the Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba.
Others are the National Security Adviser, Major General Babagana Monguno (rtd), and the Director-General of National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ambassador Ahmed Rufai.
President Buhari departed Nigeria for the UK to participate in the Global Education Summit on Financing Global Partnership for Education (GPE) 2021-2025 on Monday.
The president after the event would spend two weeks in London to enable him to undergo his earlier scheduled medical checkup in London.
