Breaking News! President Buhari Is Sick

President Muhammadu Buhari is sick and is being treated at
the presidential villa, PREMIUM TIMES can authoritatively
report.

The president has an infection in his left ear,
otherwise called Meniere Disease, a challenge which has
drastically reduced his outings in the last one week. As a
result of the infection, the president now suffers hearing
impairment and routinely complains of severe pains and
unusual sounds from that ear, those familiar with his
condition told PREMIUM TIMES.

Mr. Buhari had on three
recent occasions cancelled official trips within and outside
the country due to the infection and was represented at
those events by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

A statement
by the presidency on Friday said the vice president would
again represent the president at the 48th Ordinary Summit
of Head of State and Government of the Economic
Community of West African States (ECOWAS) holding this
weekend in Dakar, Senegal. The statement by Laolu Akande,
the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the
vice president, said Mr. Osinbajo would leave for Dakar on
Friday and was expected back in Abuja on Sunday.

Multiple
sources in the Presidency told this newspaper Friday that
the president got the ear infection about two weeks ago.

Our
sources said apart from his family, only a few high profile
individuals who visited at the Presidential Villa in the last
one week were aware of the president's illness. Mr. Buhari,
who clocked 73 last December, was said to have confirmed it
to some dignatories who visited him in the past days,
explaining to some of them that that was why he was unable
to visit Lagos and Rivers as scheduled. He was also said to
have told his guest that he was struggling to give his failing
health a major attention. He is currently being treated by his
personal physician and other experts from the State House
Clinic, our sources said.

An official said the president might
seek treatment abroad if
his condition does not improve in the next few days. Despite
hearing difficulty, the president, our sources said, managed
to attend Jumaat service and host some important visitors,
including former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and
Goodluck Jonathan as well as some clergymen on Friday.

Presidential spokespersons could not be reached to
comment for this story on Friday night. While calls to the
Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, failed
to go through, Garba Shehu, the senior special assistant on
media and publicity did not answer or return calls. Media
reports first hinted of the president's illness two weeks ago
when he was billed to visit Lagos. Mr. Osinbajo represented
him on that visit.

The vice president also represented the
president in Papua New Guinea last weekend where the 8th
Summit of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States
held.

Mr. Buhari on Thursday put off his scheduled trip to
Rivers State where he was billed to kick off the cleanup of
Ogoni land as recommended by the United Nations
Environmental Programme. Again, Mr. Osinbajo
represented him at the event.