Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari’s health is not as poor as assumed, his wife said, trying to assuage concerns in the country over her husband’s ability to work.
Buhari (74) did not attend a cabinet meeting last Wednesday, choosing to rest and work from home, his second consecutive absence from the weekly meeting chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
“I wish to inform everyone his health is not as bad as it’s being perceived,” his wife Aisha Buhari tweeted. “Meanwhile he carries out his responsibilities during this period.”
She did not discuss what Buhari was suffering from, which officials have declined to reveal.
She said her husband was meeting the head of the state oil company NNPC and the justice minister on Tuesday night.
“I thank all Nigerians for their concern, love and prayers over my husband’s health status,” she wrote.
Buhari returned home in March after almost two months’ medical leave in Britain and said he would need more rest and health tests. Details of his medical condition were not disclosed.
His spokesman said last week there was no need to worry, adding Buhari had gone through the worst period of his recovery in London.
Osinbajo, a lawyer seen as more business-friendly than Buhari, has played an active role in driving policy changes, chairing cabinet meetings during the president’s medical leave.
