Featured

Buhari’s Failing Health Raises Fresh Anxiety

Published

9 years ago

April 24, 2017

Fresh anxiety is mounting over the state of health of President Muhammadu Buhari, who returned to the country on March 10, after a 49-day medical sojourn in London, United Kingdom.
The 74-year-old Nigerian leader was only seen in public once throughout last week, when he joined other Muslim faithful for a Juma’at service on Friday at a mosque located near his office inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The service lasted less than one hour, after which, Buhari returned to his residence.
Before Friday’s brief appearance, the last time he was seen in public was penultimate Friday, when he attended the same service at the same venue.
Presidency sources attributed the President’s continuous non-appearance at public events to his ailing health and the need to take further rest.
“It is no longer news that the president has been sick. His ill health coupled with his age is responsible for the scaling down of his activities,” one of the sources said, last Saturday.
Investigations show that in the Presidential Villa, there have been continuous whispers among workers over Buhari’s continued absence.
The concern was further heightened when it was observed that many of the president’s assignments were transferred to the vice president.
Last week, a delegation of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) had met with the vice president and told him they were welcoming Buhari from his medical vacation through him (Yemi Osinbajo).
“Was it that they were denied access to the president himself due to his ill health?” some workers wondered aloud.
One of our correspondents reports that, although some government officials were reported to have met with Buhari in his office, last week, to update him of developments in their ministries, no photographs or video recordings of such encounters were made available by the Presidency, which was contrary to the usual practice.
Although the government officials spoke with reporters after their separate meetings with the president, the absence of such photographs and video recordings raised doubts as to whether, indeed, the government officials met with the president.
When confronted with such suspicion, the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Usani Usani, who was one of the government officials that met Buhari, last week, said those who held the opinion that he did not meet the president were entitled to their opinion.
He, however, insisted that he met Buhari, and briefed him on developments in his ministry.
Others who met the president, last week, were the Head of Service of the Federation, Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita; Minister of Solid Mineral Development, Dr Kayode Fayemi; and the Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Solomon Dalung.
Speaking on the development, a former Joint House Leader of the defunct Peoples Redemption Party and Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, as well as a member of the Defence Committee in the Second Republic, Dr Junaid Mohammed, told newsmen that there was every reason for Nigerians to be worried about the president’s health, especially because he has hardly been seen in public.
Mohammed said, “The Presidency needs to tell the truth. It is disingenuous and not good for the country for the people to be told lies about their president.
“We need to know the truth and not be told lies. People have genuine cause to be worried because they don’t see their president as they should. Knowing about the health of the president is not a personal issue; it is of public interest. Nigerians are genuinely concerned,” he added.
Also speaking, a member of the National Executive Committee of the Arewa Consultative Forum, Mohammed Abdulrahman, said Nigerians should be worried that the cabal in the administration of the president might have hijacked the care of Buhari from his wife, Aisha Buhari.
“That was what happened to Gen Sani Abacha. The same happened to ex-president, Umaru Yar’Adua when he took ill and eventually died. Aisha has to learn the ropes and should not allow the cabal in her husband’s government to mismanage the president’s health. While I think the president’s illness is due to old age, there are concerns in the public that he has continued to stay away from the public, and the Presidency keeps saying the president is fine. People are worried because Buhari is a president they love,” the ACF chieftain said.
Similarly, the leader of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, Yerima Shettima, stated that Nigerians were worried about the continued absence of the president in the public, adding that Buhari was not elected to stay indoors.
“Nigerians want to see the president they voted for. Nigerians want to know the status of his health. We are praying for him to get better but nobody should hide him from us. We are worried. It is disturbing and worrisome that we have not seen him in public, and that we do not know his exact health status. Nobody should hide him away from us because we feel he has been kidnapped from Nigerians. He is being treated with taxpayers’ money, so, they deserve to know the status of his health.
“It is sad that against all odds, a cabal in the government has turned Buhari to a private property. But Buhari is a public property as an elected president of the country. Tradition and the Constitution demand that we should know about his health. No one has the right to hide him from us. We are concerned; we are worried. We feel that our mandate is being hijacked by some people. The electorate must know what has happened to their mandate,” Shettima said.
However, while responding to the fresh anxiety over the president’s health, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said Buhari was recuperating, adding that the prayer of all was that he recovered fully soon.
When further asked when the president would likely return to see his doctors in the United Kingdom, the presidential spokesman said Nigerians would be adequately informed about Buhari’s movement when the time comes.
Adesina said, “The president is recovering, and our prayer is that he returns to full health soon.
“On arrival in the country on March 10, he (Buhari) said he would still travel at a later time. No date was given, but be assured that when it’s time to travel, the country would be told.
“The president is a plain and straightforward person,” Adesina added.
It will be recalled that the Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, had questioned Buhari’s absence from state functions, especially the weekly Federal Executive Council meetings.
The Convener of Every Nigerian Do Something, Perry Brimah, had also claimed, in a statement, last Friday, that the president was critically ill and was being locked up inside the Presidential Villa by a selfish cabal.
Fayose, in a statement in Ado Ekiti, issued by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, had asked if the president was governing the country by proxy.
According to him, it is becoming obvious that a group or cabal is exercising the powers of the president.

Featured

Rivers: Impeachment Moves Against Fubara, Deputy Hits Rock …As CJ Declines Setting Up Panel

Published

2 weeks ago

January 23, 2026

The Tide

The impeachment moves against Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminialayi Fubara, and his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Ordu, by the Rivers State House of Assembly has suffered a setback following the refusal by the State Chief Judge, Hon. Justice Simeon C. Amadi, to set up a seven-man investigate panel to probe the governor and his deputy.

Justice Amadi hinged his decision on subsisting interim court injunctions and pending appeals.

Recall that the Assembly members had earlier requested the Chief Judge to set up a seven-man investigative panel to probe allegations of gross misconduct against Fubara and his deputy.

In a letter dated January 20, 2026, and addressed to the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Martins Amaewhule, the Chief Judge acknowledged receipt of two separate letters from the Assembly, both dated January 16, 2026, requesting the constitution of an investigative panel pursuant to Section 188(5) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).

However, the State Chief Judge explained that his hands were tied by ongoing judicial proceedings directly connected to the impeachment process.

He disclosed that his office had been served with interim injunctions issued on January 16, 2026, arising from two separate suits challenging the actions of the House of Assembly.

The suits include Suit No. OYHC/6/CS/2026, filed by the Deputy Governor against the Speaker and 32 others, and Suit No. OYHC/7/CS/2026, instituted by Governor Fubara against the Speaker and 32 others.

According to him, the interim injunctions expressly restrain him from “receiving, forwarding, considering and or howsoever acting on any request, resolution, articles of impeachment or other documents or communication from the 1st -27th and 31st Defendants for the purpose of constituting a panel to investigate the purported allegations of misconduct against the Claimant/Applicant for seven days.”

Justice Amadi stressed that obedience to court orders is non-negotiable in a constitutional democracy, regardless of personal opinions about such orders.

“Constitutionalism and the Rule of Law are the bedrock of democracy and all persons and authorities are expected to obey subsisting orders of court of competent jurisdiction, irrespective of perception of its regularity or otherwise,” he stated.

To further underscore his position, the Chief Judge cited judicial precedent, referring to the case of Hon. Dele Abiodun v. The Hon. Chief Judge of Kwara State & 3 Ors. (2007), in which the Chief Judge of Kwara State was faulted for proceeding to constitute a panel despite a subsisting court order restraining such action.

Quoting directly from the judgment, Justice Amadi recalled: “I liken the scenario created by the Chief Judge to the position of a chief priest and custodian of an oracle turning round to desecrate the oracle,” a passage he said highlights the sacred duty of judicial officers to uphold the law.

He added that the judiciary, as “the custodian and head of the judicial arm of the State, ought to abide by the laws of the State, nay the land…”

He further noted that the Rivers State House of Assembly had already filed appeals against the interim injunctions at the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt Division, with notices of appeal served on January 19 and 20, 2026.

“In view of the foregoing, my hand is fettered, as there are subsisting interim orders of injunction and appeal against the said orders.

“I am therefore legally disabled at this point, from exercising my duties under Section 188(5) of the Constitution in the instant,” the Chief Judge declared.

He concluded by expressing hope that “the Rt. Hon. Speaker and the Honourable Members of the Rivers State House of Assembly will be magnanimous enough to appreciate the legal position of the matter.

Featured

Tinubu Hails NGX N100trn Milestones, Urges Nigerians To Invest Locally

Published

4 weeks ago

January 9, 2026

The Tide

President Bola Tinubu yesterday celebrated the Nigerian Exchange Group’s breakthrough into the N100tn market capitalisation threshold, saying Nigeria has moved from an ignored frontier market to a compelling investment destination.

Tinubu, in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, urged Nigerians to increase their investments in the domestic economy, expressing confidence that 2026 would deliver stronger returns as ongoing reforms take firmer root.

He noted that the NGX closed 2025 with a 51.19 per cent return, outperforming global indices such as the S&P 500 and FTSE 100, as well as several BRICS+ emerging markets, after recording 37.65 per cent in 2024.

“With the Nigerian Exchange crossing the historic N100tn market capitalisation mark, the country is witnessing the birth of a new economic reality and rejuvenation,” Tinubu said.

He attributed the stellar performance to Nigerian companies proving they can deliver strong investment returns across all sectors, from blue-chip industrials localising supply chains to banks demonstrating technological innovation.

The President added, “Year-to-date returns have significantly outpaced the S&P 500, the FTSE 100, and even many of our emerging-market peers in the BRICS+ group. Nigeria is no longer a frontier market to be ignored—it is now a compelling destination where value is being discovered.”

Tinubu disclosed that more indigenous energy firms, technology companies, telecoms operators and infrastructure firms are preparing to list on the exchange, a move he said would deepen market capitalisation and broaden economic participation.

He also cited what he described as a sustained decline in inflation over eight months—from 34.8 per cent in December 2024 to 14.45 per cent in November 2025—projecting that the rate would fall below 10 per cent before the end of 2026.

“Indeed, inflation is likely to fall below 10 per cent before the end of this year, leading to improved living standards and accelerated GDP growth. The year 2026 promises to be an epochal year for delivering prosperity to all Nigerians,” he said.

The President attributed the trend to monetary tightening, elimination of Ways and Means financing, and agricultural investments, which he said helped stabilise the naira and ease post-reform pressures.

Nigeria’s current account surplus reached $16bn in 2024, with the Central Bank projecting $18.81bn in 2026, reflecting a trade pattern shift toward exporting more and importing less locally-producible goods.

Non-oil exports jumped 48 per cent to N9.2tn by the third quarter of 2025, with African exports nearly doubling to N4.9tn. Manufacturing exports grew 67 per cent year-on-year in the second quarter.

Foreign reserves have crossed $45bn and are expected to breach $50 billion in the first quarter, giving the CBN ammunition to maintain currency stability and end the volatility that previously fuelled speculation, according to the President.

Tinubu also highlighted infrastructure expansion in rail networks, arterial roads, port revitalisation, and the Lagos-Calabar and Sokoto-Badagry superhighways, alongside improvements in healthcare facilities that are reducing medical tourism costs, and increased university research grants funded through the Nigeria Education Loan Fund.

“Our medicare facilities are improving, and medical tourism costs are declining. Our students benefit from the Nigeria Education Loan Fund, and universities are receiving increased research grants,” he said.

He described nation-building as a process requiring hard work, sacrifices, and citizen focus, pledging to continue working to build an egalitarian, transparent, and high-growth economy catalysed by historic tax and fiscal reforms that came into full implementation from January 1.

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RSG Kicks Off Armed Forces Remembrance Day ‘Morrow …Restates Commitment Towards Veterans’ Welfare

Published

4 weeks ago

January 9, 2026

The Tide

The Rivers State Government has reiterated its commitment towards the welfare of veterans, serving officers and widows of fallen officers in the State.

?The Secretary to the Rivers State Government, Dr. Benibo Anabraba, in a statement by ?Head, Information and Public Relations Unit, SSG’s ?Office, ?Juliana Masi, stated this during the Central Planning meeting of the 2026 Armed Forces Remembrance Day in Port Harcourt, yesterday.

?Anabraba thanked the Committee for their contributions to the success of the Emblem Appeal Fund Ceremony recently held in the State and called on them to double their efforts so that the State can record resounding success in the remaining activities.

?According to him, the remembrance day events will begin with Jumaàt Prayers on Friday, 9th January at the Rivers State Central Mosque, Port Harcourt Township, while a Humanitarian Outreach/Family and Community Day will be hosted on Saturday, 10th January, by the wife of the governor, Lady Valerie Siminalayi Fubara, for widows and veterans.

?”On Sunday, 11th January, an Interdenominational Church Thanksgiving Service will hold at St. Cyprian Anglican Church, Port Harcourt Township while the Grand-finale Wreath- Laying Ceremony will hold on Thursday, 15th January at the Isaac Boro Park Cenotaph, Port Harcourt”, he said.

?The SSG noted that one of the highlights of the events is the laying of wreaths by Governor Siminalayi Fubara and Heads of the Security Agencies.