The internet does not just forget! No it does not.
A statement which Lai Mohammed, minister of information, issued in
December 2009 when he was spokesman of the Action Congress (AC), is
trending on social media.
In the statement, Mohammed demanded a daily update on the health condition
of the then President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, who eventually died in office.
The refusal of those in the presidency to give a clear picture about
Yar’Adua’s state of health had sparked controversy, and the opposition
spokesman raised the alarm.
An excerpt of the report Vanguard published from that statement is
reproduced below
The Action Congress (AC) has renewed its call on the federal government to
give Nigerians a daily update on the health of President Umaru Yar’Adua to
stem the growing rumours surrounding his state of health.
In a statement issued in Lagos on Sunday by its National Publicity
Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the current situation
whereby ministers and aides of the President give out uncoordinated
information on his health, is doing more harm than good.
Therefore, a daily briefing by the Minister of Information, based on
authentic details provided by the President’s doctors, should start
forthwith. As we have said many times, the health of the President, as a
public figure can no longer be of interest only to his family and friends.
Nigerians have a right to know.
The party also called on the Federal Executive Council,FEC, the only body
constitutionally empowered to start the process of determining whether or
not the President can continue in office on the basis of his health, to
rise above mundane considerations and put the nation’s interest first.
The scenario is very similar to what is happening in the current
administration, but Mohammed is now singing a different tune.
On Sunday, President Muhammadu Buhari, who was supposed to resume duty
after a 10-day vacation in the UK, said he would be away indefinitely.
According to the statement issued by Femi Adesina, Buhari’s spokesman, the
president’s doctors advised him to wait in the UK until the result of some
of the tests he did were out.
Should Nigerians also demand a daily update?
Courtesy: Cableng