President Buhari during his one year anniversary broadcast last week
President Buhari during his one year anniversary broadcast last week as shown by the NTA

President Muhammadu Buhari is ill and this is authoritative. He has what his Special Adviser, Media & Publicity, Femi Adesina describes as a “persistent ear infection.”

He leaves Nigeria tomorrow (Monday) for London to seek further treatment. According to Adesina, the President will take a 10-day leave to see an E.N.T. specialist and then rest.

Adesina further revealed that Buhari was examined by his personal physician and an E.N.T. (Ear, Nose and Throat) specialist in Abuja and was treated. The doctors however recommended further evaluation “purely as a precaution.”

During his one-year anniversary broadcast on May 29, many watchful Nigerians wondered at the frail look of the President. In the past two weeks, Buhari has cancelled two important official engagements that would have taken him to Lagos and then Ogoniland in Rivers State.

Many people attributed his last-minute cancellation of those trips to security concerns. Now, it appears, his health was the reason behind the abortion of those trips.