Secrecy around Buhari’s health

The president and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces is not a private or ordinary citizen. The day he decides to contest for the office and gets elected, he ceases to be a private citizen. He becomes a public citizen, owned by the people who elected him into office. He no longer has a private life. Everything he does is in public glare. He becomes completely responsible to the people and cannot hide hides nothing from them. It is no wonder then that the president is fully maintained by the resources of the people. They clothe him, house him, feed him, provide for his medical needs and equally look after his family. He is protected by the secret service, travels in presidential aircrafts and has the airport shut and the roads closed to other users anytime he is about to travel. He is not allowed to do any other business but to devote his full time to serving the people. It is therefore illogical that the president elects to enjoy all the privileges and perquisites of office but elects to become a private citizen when it comes to information about his health.

Truth be told, the presidency has been mismanaging information about the president’s health. He is human like everyone and no one can blame him for being ill. But everything is wrong when his handlers treat him as a superman; when they think it is un-presidential to fall ill; when they lie blatantly, give half-truths or stay silent about the health of the president. It does not engender trust and respect. We recall that the last time the president spent 51 days in the UK for treatment, his handlers refused to acknowledge that he was even sick and receiving treatment. It took a sincere confirmation from the president himself, when he returned, to confirm that he had been so sick he even had a blood transfusion. Meanwhile, the president’s handlers were busy reassuring everyone that he was only resting in London and undergoing medical tests.

Of course, where information becomes unavailable, rumour mongers takeover. Since the president returned to the UK on May 7, there has been no word as to the condition of the president. Consequently, Nigerians have been inundated with rumours about the president’s condition. Instead of taking charge of the situation and giving prompt and accurate information, the president’s handlers have been reduced to discrediting rumours daily about the president’s health.

Nigerians deserve to know the health status of their president. The president embodies the collective hope and will of country and anything that affects him has implications for the country. His handlers are making a huge joke of the country by keeping information on his health a complete secret. Civilised, free and democratic countries do not operate that way.