By Abdullahi M. Gulloma
Abuja
President Muhammadu Buhari said yesterday that there was nothing wrong if he goes on vacation at the beginning of the year.
Responding to question before he left for the United Kingdom on a 10-day vacation, the President said: “What’s wrong with going on vacation? Didn’t I go last year at the same time?”
Meanwhile, the President was briefed on the security situation within and outside the country shortly before he left the country, Chief of Defence Staff, General Gabriel Olonishakin, has said.
“The meeting was to give Mr. President update on our operations within and outside the country especially our involvement with the ECOWAS Standby Force that are being inducted into Senegal which has to do with the issue of the mandate ensuring that the president-elect of The Gambia is sworn in.
“The operational mandate in Gambia is in line with the decision of the ECOWAS heads of states and governments that the ECOWAS Standby Force be put in place to ensure that the decision of the people of The Gambia is respected,” he said.
Asked if there were other directives as the President proceeds on leave, Olonishakin said: “Those were the things we talked about. As the head of the military, my work is to ensure that everything is in order and to make sure that the situation is handled appropriately.”
Also speaking, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, called for prayers as the President embarks on the vacation.
“The President is going to rest. You know that God did work of creation for six days and on the seventh day he rested. So if God needed to rest how much more human being.
“So the President is just going to rest and the statement we have released is straight forward. He will go on this leave and during the leave he will do routine medical checkups,” he said.
Asked if Nigerians have nothing to worry about, Adesina said: “Nothing, absolutely nothing. We need to show good will towards our leaders particularly President Muhammadu Buhari, who is working to give Nigeria a new footing, a new orientation. Nothing absolutely to worry about, but a lot of good will, a lot of prayers are necessary at all time.”
