Nigerians need not worry about the health of President Muhammadu Buhari because he is fit and healthy, Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, told Thiday’s Arise TV on Sunday, January 22, 2017 in Abuja.
‘’Last Sunday, the president stood for one hour; and if he is not fit he would have collapsed. I do not think we should discuss president’s medical history. What are we worrying about? I will soon go for 10 days’ vacation, in which I will go for medical check-up. The rumour about his death or he is alive, is all nonsense,’’ he said.
News of purported death of the president had gone viral in rumour circles on Friday, forcing the president’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu to deny the speculation on his Twitter handle.
The president is on a 10-day vacation in London, during which he plans to undergo routine medical check-up, according to his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina.
Amaechi also spoke on other sundry issues, including the impending closure of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport and Buhari’s plan to redevelop the Niger Delta.
He said the airport had to be closed because its runway was being rebuilt entirely.
The minister said: ‘’I do not know whether we have done enough enlightenment to let the public know what the situation is. The first problem is that we are not rehabilitating the runway; we are rebuilding a completely damaged runway.
‘’The airport was built to last for 20 years, but it lasted for 24 years. If it is rehabilitation, it will just last for about three days; but it has gone beyond that. We should ask the past government why the airport was allowed to deteriorate to this level.
‘’There was a time under former President Umaru Yar’Adua that the federal government wanted to build the second runway, but the National Assembly removed it from the budget. If we had done the second runway, we would not have closed the airport while we rebuild the first one. We need 24 hours for six weeks to reconstruct the runway. We will make sure it does not go beyond those six weeks.’’
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