Buhari to Return to Nigeria From Medical Leave in Britain

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari will return Saturday from medical leave in Britain where he has been since May 7, a presidential spokesman said. The presidency has not disclosed the precise nature of the 74-year-old's ailment, which has led to speculation in Nigerian media and on social media about his illness and whether he will seek a second term by contesting the 2019 election. Buhari, who took office in May 2015, handed over power to his deputy, Yemi Osinbajo, in his absence to allay concerns of a void at the helm...
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• Nigerians Demand Absent President 'Resume or Resign' VOA Africa (3 days ago) - Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has spent more time outside of the country than in it... </s> ABUJA, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari will return on Saturday from medical leave in Britain where he has been since May 7, a presidential spokesman said.

The presidency has not disclosed the precise nature of the 74-year-old's ailment, which has led to speculation in Nigerian media and on social media about his illness and whether he will seek a second term by contesting the 2019 election.

Buhari, who took office in May 2015, handed over power to his deputy, Yemi Osinbajo, in his absence to allay concerns of a void at the helm of Africa's biggest economy.

"President Muhammadu Buhari returns to the country later today, after receiving medical attention in London," the president's spokesman Femi Adesina said in a statement on Saturday.

"President Buhari is expected to speak to Nigerians in a broadcast by 7 a.m (0600 GMT) on Monday, August 21," he said.

It was his second break for medical leave in Britain this year after a first that began in January and lasted nearly two months.

Buhari reduced his working day to a few hours after returning to Nigeria from his first stint of medical leave on March 10, diplomats and government sources said. (Reporting by Felix Onuah; Writing by Alexis Akwagyiram; Editing by Janet Lawrence) </s> The Nigerian leader spent three months in the UK seeking treatment for an unspecified illness....
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• Nigerians Demand Absent President 'Resume or Resign' VOA Africa (3 days ago) - Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has spent more time outside of the country than in it... </s> Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has returned home after three months of medical leave in the UK.

Officials refused to disclose what he was being treated for.

It was the president’s second spell of medical leave this year – leading many Nigerians to question whether he was well enough to run the country.

President Buhari, 74, walked unaided from the plane after landing in the Nigerian capital, Abuja.

He was greeted by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who has acted as interim leader, and was accorded a military salute.

He made no statement and immediately travelled to the presidential villa.

President Buhari, who took office in May 2015, handed over power to Vice President Osinbajo to allay concerns of a void at the helm of Africa’s biggest economy.

His absence sparked numerous protests, including demands that he should resign, as well as calls for more transparency about the president’s condition.

There has been speculation about his health since June 2016, when he first went to London for treatment of what his aides said was a persistent ear infection.

His spokesman said he will address Nigerians on Monday morning. </s> Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has returned to the Nigerian capital of Abuja following an extended stay in London to treat an undisclosed illness. He's been away since May 7, and some Nigerians were beginning to demand Buhari return to work or step down from office. His supporters lined up to greet him along the road leading away from the airport, and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who has been acting president, was on hand at the airport for Buhari's return. Buhari first left Nigeria in January to receive treatment in Britain,...
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• Nigerians Demand Absent President 'Resume or Resign' VOA Africa (3 days ago) - Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has spent more time outside of the country than in it... </s> ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari returned home on Saturday from three months of medical leave in Britain where he received treatment for an unspecified ailment.

FILE PHOTO - Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari speaks during German President Joachim Gauck's visit to the State House in Abuja, Nigeria February 11, 2016. REUTERS/Afolabi Sotunde/File Photo

Buhari’s leave, which began on May 7 and was his second this year, left many in Nigeria questioning whether he was well enough to run the country. The refusal of officials to disclose the nature of the ailment has led to speculation about the illness.

Dressed in a dark kaftan and Muslim prayer hat, the 74-year-old Buhari walked unaided from his plane - holding rails on either side of him - after it landed at the international airport in the capital, Abuja.

He was greeted by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who has acted as interim leader, and was accorded a military salute. He made no statement and immediately traveled to the presidential villa.

Buhari, who took office in May 2015, handed over power to Osinbajo in his absence to allay concerns of a void at the helm of Africa’s biggest economy.

“President Buhari is expected to speak to Nigerians in a broadcast by 7 a.m (0600 GMT) on Monday, Aug. 21,” his spokesman, Femi Adesina, said in a statement on Saturday.

Buhari’s absence sparked numerous protests, including demands that Buhari should resign, as well as calls for more transparency about the president’s condition.

The All Progressives Congress (APC), the party of president and his deputy, praised the vice president’s contribution.

In a statement, it said Osinbajo had delivered “competent leadership in the absence of President Buhari and especially commends him for his effort to unite the country and drive the recovery of the national economy”.

Osinbajo’s actions included overseeing the creation of a market-determined foreign exchange window that helped push share prices to near three-year highs.

He also announced the legalizing of illicit refineries in the Niger Delta, the OPEC member’s restive southern oil hub.

The move calmed tensions and prompted regional leaders to abandon a threat to pull out of talks with the government aimed at maintaining the peace that has this year halted attacks on energy facilities which in 2016 cut oil production by more than a third.

The medical leave was Buhari’s second break for treatment in Britain this year after a spell of two months from January.

Buhari reduced his working day to a few hours after returning on March 10 to Nigeria from his first stint of medical leave, diplomats and government sources said.

Little was seen of Buhari during his second stint in London. The first photograph of him was released on July 23, nearly 80 days after he left.

The frequency of images released increased in the last few weeks with Buhari appearing in photographs with visiting Nigerian state governors, the archbishop of Canterbury and the OPEC secretary general. </s> File: Buhari, who took office in May 2015 on promises to crackdown on corruption, suspended David Babachir Lawal, secretary to the Nigerian government, and ordered a probe into contracts awarded under the Presidential Initiative on the North East (PINE). Photo: SUNDAY AGHAEZE / AFP

ABUJA - Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday ordered an investigation into corruption allegations against a senior civil servant related to the use of funds intended for handling a humanitarian crisis in the northeast of the country.

Buhari, who took office in May 2015 on promises to crackdown on corruption, suspended David Babachir Lawal, secretary to the Nigerian government, and ordered a probe into contracts awarded under the Presidential Initiative on the North East (PINE).

A three-man committee is to submit its report to the president within 14 days, a statement issued by the president's spokesman said on Wednesday.

Reuters was not immediately able to reach Lawal for comment.

In other news regarding Nigeria's crackdown on corruption' the BBC is reporting that President Buhari has suspended the boss of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) Ayo Oke.

Buhari reportedly ordered an investigation following last week's discovery of $43m (R470-million) in cash in a flat in an upscale estate in Lagos.

The money, which was uncovered by the anti-corruption agency following a tip-off has been claimed by the NIA, the report says.

"President Buhari has ordered investigators to find out how the NIA came in possession of the funds and to establish if they broke any law.

"A statement from the presidency says a committee, headed by the vice president will conduct the investigation and submit a report to him within 14 days," the BBC report concluded </s> Nigeria's fight against the Boko Haram jihadist group was expected to top the menu for talks Monday when President Donald Trump meets Nigeria's Muhammadu Buhari, president of Africa's most populous and wealthiest country.

Buhari will be the first leader from sub-Saharan Africa to visit Trump, and they plan a joint press conference in the White House gardens after their meeting around midday.

In his talks with Trump, Buhari will be seeking support in his battle against Boko Haram, as well as investment in Nigeria's rickety infrastructure.

Trump, meanwhile, has to overcome the hard feelings left by his insulting reference to "shithole countries" in questioning why the US should accept immigrants from Africa.

The US president also raised eyebrows in March by firing Rex Tillerson as secretary of state while he was visiting Nigeria, in part to prepare the ground for Buhari's visit.

But Trump's receiving Buhari at the White House just after visits by France's Emmanuel Macron and Germany's Angela Merkel is a positive signal, analysts say.

"The fact that the president of Africa's most populous country is visiting Washington at all may be more important to strengthening the US-Africa relationship than any discussion of policy during the trip," said John Campbell, a former US ambassador in Abuja who is now at the Council of Foreign Relations.

The White House says both security and business will be up for discussion during the visit.

Nigeria is entering its ninth year fighting Boko Haram extremists, who have devastated the northeast of the country and killed over 20,000 people in a bloody quest to establish an Islamist state.

Trump's administration has agreed to the sale of a dozen A-29 Super Tucano turboprop light attack aircraft for use in the fight against the jihadist group, a deal worth a reported $496 million.

In January 2017, then-president Barack Obama froze the deal after Nigeria's air force bombed a refugee camp, killing more than 100 people, on a mission against Boko Haram.

Washington is now ready to allow the sale to go forward. But it has come under scrutiny inside Nigeria, where lawmakers are accusing the president of illegally withdrawing funds to purchase the planes.

Nigeria is also seeking support for its farm and transport sectors. Buhari is scheduled to meet with potential investors in Nigerian farming and food processing.

Amid intensifying competition with China and Europeans for the business of oil-rich Nigeria, officials accompanying Buhari also will be meeting with aviation giant Boeing, according to his office.

On Friday, General Electric announced that an international consortium it leads has signed a deal for a $2 billion project to refurbish Nigeria's narrow-gauge railway.

Both sides have something to gain from the meeting of the two presidents, Peter Pham, director of the Africa Center at the Washington-based Atlantic Council, told AFP.

"On President Trump's side, it's definitely putting that controversy behind him," Pham said, referring to the "shithole countries" remark.

For Buhari, who will seek reelection in 2019, "It's having the prominence of being the first African leader received at the White House in this administration," Pham said. </s> iStock/Thinkstock(ABUJA, Nigeria) — Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari announced Saturday that Boko Haram had been driven out of the Islamist militant group’s stronghold in the Sambisa Forest.

“The terrorists are on the run and no longer have a place to hide,” Buhari said in a statement according to BBC.

The Nigerian army gained control of the camp on Friday, according to Buhari, after launching a major offensive in the forest over the past few weeks, BBC reports.

The Sambisa Forest, in the northeastern Borno state, was also believed to be where the Chibok schoolgirls were taken when they were kidnapped by militants pretending to be guards in 2014.
Nigerian state television reports that President Muhammadu Buhari is back in the country after a three-month sick leave in Britain.