News: President Buhari is working from the UK- Ibe Kachikwu tells BBC

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, was a guest on BBC's Hardtalks yesterday where he said that President Buhari is still working from the UK where he is currently receiving medical treatment for an undisclosed ailment. Speaking on the health condition of President Buhari, Kachikwu said

"Yes, he is in London. He is undergoing hospital treatment. I don’t know the details of that and I obviously wouldn’t know. But let me say this, he returned from his first trip in London. He worked full stream. Even though the doctors advised him to have some rest.
He’s back to London and he has continued some levels of meetings and has been able to play some roles. He has a very efficient Vice-President who is sitting in for him in his absence. It really hasn’t made much of a difference.”he said

Speaking on why the presidency is keeping a secret the true state of health of President Buhari, Kachikwu said

"I think Nigerians generally know that the president is not too well"

Asked what is wrong with President Buhari, the Minister answered

"I don’t know. But let’s face it; who in the world goes around giving to everybody what their medical status is? The doctors have got to be able to release something official and he’s working through it. It has not become a major problem. If it gets to that incapacity level, obviously Nigerians will worry a lot more”

On rumors that President Buhari is seriously sick, Kachikwu said

"Well, we’ve heard rumors in Nigeria about sick presidents off and on, most of them sometimes not quite correct. Will he be able to lead Nigeria? I think looking at the sort of conversations I had with him when he came back, he was strong enough to do his work, struggled a bit in terms of trying to fully recover. Nobody plans on illness, it happens. He has an efficient number two man; the system works, that’s the whole essence of democracy. He’s on top of his abilities to be able to issue policies and to be able to approve what he needs to be approved.”

Listen to the full interview http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p052y9w5