THE Minister of State for Education under president Umar Yar Adu, Professor Jerry Agada, has slammed President Mohammadu Buhari and his media aides for shielding the health status of the president from the masses.
Prof Agada, one time national president of Association of Nigeria Authors ANA berated the president and his media aides during an interaction newsmen in Makurdi on Saturday.
Agada said that Buhari’s disclosure of his health status was necessary to clear the air on all sorts of rumor milling around concerning the president’s ill health.
The former minister said that with the silence pervading the health of the president, “many Nigerians, including the president’s closed political allies, friends and the masses are now worried what actually is the state if health of the president.”
“It is better Buhari addresses Nigerians now in order to put an end to all these speculations. Buhari’s aides should let us know whether he is still alive or not because, this issue has generated so much heat in the political circle.”
”This kind of thing cannot happen in America or Britain where we claim to be copying our type of democracy. There is no way American President or British Prime Minister would be hospitalised and the citizens would not know the condition of their health.
“In fact, at every stage they will be reporting to the public the state of health of Mr president, whether it has moved from mild to severe mild stage. But here in Nigeria, nobody knows about Buhari situation. Buhari has become public property and so, we must know what happen to him,” Agada lamented.
Professor Agada accused those saddle with the responsibility of managing information concerning Buhari for not doing well and making things difficult for Nigeria.
“The media office of the President is not doing well, they are always harbouring information concerning the President, not ready to disclose it. If it is another country like UK, the media will be informing the people at every second or minute of the President condition, but here in Nigeria, the president media aides blocked everyone.
”Those managing the information around the President should know that Nigerians are so concerned,and worried. They should tell us what is actually happening to our President so that we can be more prayerful.Those of us that goes to churches and mosques can even take Buhari as prayer point to our pastors and Imam to heal him,” he stated.
Speaking on the Anti Open Grazing bill recently enacted into law by Governor Samuel Ortom administration, Agada who is now Executive chairman, Benue State Civil Service Commission commended the governor for the new law.
According to him, “this law will put to rest the constant attacks on our farmers by herdsmen, just as the herdsman’ economy depends on the cows, so does the farmer’s economy depends on the land. And so, no one from any place should come to our state and tell us how to make law and govern our state.
“I therefore charge governor Ortom not to be intimidated by anyone, not even by the recent threat by leadership of the Miyetti Allah,” he said.
He stated that in a bid to rid the state of ghost workers and over-bloated wage bill, the Benue State Government has commenced screening of civil servants and local government employees for thorough modified table payment after which his organisation would authenticate the genuine workforce in the state and know when those due for retirement would leave.
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