Amidst reports that President Mohammadu Buhari has “an ear problem,” the Presidency, yesterday, announced he will spend the next 10 days in London, the United Kingdom, starting today.
Buhari is expected to see an ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist “for a persistent ear infection. This was the recommendation of his personal physician and an ENT specialist in Nigeria,” his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina said yesterday. “Both Nigerian doctors recommended further evaluation purely as a precaution,” he added.
Adesina, who featured on a live programme Politics Today on Lagos-based Channels Television, further added that aside the ear infection, the president is hale and hearty.
“Well, the question is; ‘is he (president) okay?” He has always been okay. Nothing is wrong with him…” Asked why the president’s deputy had been representing him at state matters recently, Adesina replied it was not unusual.
“Yes, we are in a democracy, particularly presidential democracy. The president can always devolve duties to his deputy who is the vice president. That’s what the president has done. But, in terms of his health, the president is fine,” he said.
Social media platforms had speculated that Buhari suffers from Ménière’s disease, a disease of unknown cause affecting the membranous labyrinth of the ear, causing progressive deafness and attacks of tinnitus and vertigo.
The ill health was said to have been the reason why the president couldn’t go to Lagos where he was billed to commission some projects penultimate week. The same scenario played out last week in which the president failed to show up at Ogoniland, Rivers State where he was to flag off the clean up of oil spill in the area. (Daily Sun)