BUHARI GOING ON VACATION BUT NEED YOUR PAYERS

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday said there was nothing wrong in him embarking on a short vacation as announced in a statement by the Presidency earlier in the day.

He said he embarked on a similar trip about the same time in 2016.

Buhari spoke with select journalists shortly before leaving the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja for London, United Kingdom.

“What is wrong with going on vacation? Didn’t I go last year at the same time?” the President asked rhetorically.

His Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, also said there was nothing to worry about over the development.

Adesina however said a lot of prayers were needed at all times.

The presidential spokesman said, “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.

“Nothing. absolutely nothing to worry about. We need to show goodwill 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 goodwill, a lot prayers are necessary at all times.”

The Chief of Defence Staff, Gabriel Olonishakin, told the journalists that he led service chiefs to give the President security briefing before he jetted out of the country.

“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 mandate ensuring that the President-elect of The Gambia is sworn in.