President Buhari Deserves the Best Medical Treatment that’s why He’s in London – Lai Mohammed

Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Lai Mohammed, while responding to a question about President Buhari’s medical leave in London on Thursday, said that the president “deserves the best in terms of medical treatment.”

He made this known on when he was a guest on Nigeria Info FM Abuja during its “Morning Crossfire” show.

A caller had criticised the government for breaking its own promise to bar public officials from seeking medical leave abroad as the president is currently in London for the second time this year undergoing medical treatment.

“My answer is very simple. Mr President is our father, he is the leader of the nation and I think he deserves the best in terms of medical treatment,” Mohammed said.

On why the government had refused to obey court orders, Mohammed said:  “If it is a court order and the order is not appealed, then you have flouted the order. But if the order is appealed, then it is not a final order. Also, you have to balance national security with the rule of law. In the case of Ifeanyi Ubah, I think it is neither here nor there.”

When another caller lamented the rising cost of foodstuff, especially rice, the minister said: “The truth of the matter is that in 2015, this government imported 580,000MT of rice. We cut it down to 58,000MT in 2016 and we have saved about $200m in the process. Yes, we understand the cost of rice is still high and we are going to intervene through price fixing by subsidising the cost of transportation.”