Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture has challenged critics trying to compare President Muhammadu Buhari’s health to circumstances that surrounded Ex-President Umaru Yar’Adua’s death, saying ‘is like comparing apple with oranges’: “President Buhari is neither ill, nor is he in any danger that calls for panic. I think it was one of the newspapers that said when I was the spokesman of the Action Congress (AC), I demanded for hourly bulletins on Yar’Adua’s health and that I ought to be giving hourly bulletins as Minister of Information on the health of the president. And I said you are comparing apple with oranges.”
“I think I can say without any equivocation that he is well, he is hale and he is hearty, no question about that. Mr. President is not ill, he is not in hospital, there will be no need to give anybody hourly bulletins about his health pure and simple. Mr. President, like I said elsewhere, is a victim of his own transparency, he was going on leave, he did what the constitution said he should do: he transmitted a letter to the National Assembly and an acting president was put in place and he said ‘while I am on leave, I am going to conduct some medical tests’, which all of us do without announcing it.”
“And of course less than six hours after he got there, he was pronounced dead by some people. Even those who saw him climb the aircraft in Abuja said he was flown by air ambulance. But I can assure you that Mr. President is well, he is hale and hearty, and there is no cause for concern. The acting president speaks to him everyday and he told you so.”
“I won’t blame Mr. President, because this is the third time you are declaring him dead. Our constitution guarantees that. Did Obama not go on leave, do other presidents not go on leave. Mr. President will go on vacation when he has to go on vacation. Do you know how many ministers have gone on vacation this year? To say Mr. President cannot go on vacation that is ridiculous. You see, on a lighter note, do you think Mr. President will be ill and we will be here and going about our business like this? One of us was in Anambra two to three days ago, I was in Ilorin on Monday, all our ministers are busy. But I want to assure you that Mr. President is well and he is in absolutely no danger.”