There is no doubt that the state of health of President Muhammadu Buhari is fast generating growing concern and fear among people of his home state, Katsina.
Abdulrasheed Funtua, a lecturer in one of the universities in Katsina, urged prayers for the president.
He said: “Mr. Presidents state of health is destiny and sickness is not death. Take Senator Isiaka Adeleke, for instance, he was not sick but he died. So, it is destiny. And there is nothing we can do than to keep praying for President Buhari.”
A resident of Kankia, Ustaz Idris, said there is palpable fear over the state of health of the President because of succession issues given the immediate past experience following the death of late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua which created room for Goodluck Jonathan to become the next president.
“Already we have a bitter experience, talking about the scenario which brought in President Jonathan. And the fear as a Nigerian is, do we know who Vice President Osinbajo is? Are we not going to have the experience we had with Jonathan where people who are rich were busy enriching themselves at the expense of the poor and other were losing their lives? “During Jonathan, instead of finding lasting solutions to the insecurities, some people were making money from the situation.
“We are only praying that President Buhari should complete his tenure and complete the good work he has started. For instance, fight against insurgency,” Idris said.
Chairman, Accountability and Good Governance Initiative, a pressure group, Lawal Saidu Funtua, shared a similar view, noting that the development is sad particularly because Katsina State lost one of it illustrious sons, late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, in a similar scenario.
He prayed for good health to enable the president complete his tenure so that his good works like the Anti-corruption crusade will not suffer a set back.
On his part, Chairman, National Conscience Party, NCP, Katsina State chapter, Abdulmumini Shehu Sani, said due process should be observed and lamented that those playing games with the president’s health condition are neither helping the nation nor the President.
His words: “In whatever situation of life, health matters and you cannot lead without proper health. You cannot be a dictator or mentor without proper and adequate health. And you cannot think and do the right thing without health. A good health is what gives one the courage and determination. Health they say is wealth.
“Let’s look at Nigeria as a whole that comprises over 180 million people, inasmuch as the leader is incapable based on his health status, let us follow the rule of law constitutionally for him to resign. His incapacitation cannot take us anywhere. It is better for him to resign. I can call him my father because he was a school mate to my late father, Shehu Sani, at the Government College, Katsina. But the truth is the Nigerian constitution should not be manipulated to favour one person.
“If we want to be fair to ourselves, he should resign, he is not the only one that can lead Nigeria to the right direction. Let him resign and go back to his family so that he can receive proper medication so that he will be free from the burden of tension from Nigerians and recover,” Sani said.
In Daura, home town of President Buhari, one of the conveners of the special prayers for President Buhari, Engr Malam Abba Mato, said they decided to hold the prayers as prescribed by Islam to pray for the sick.
Asked whether the prayer was to avert a repeat of the Yar’Adua scenario, Engr Mato said the circumstances surrounding the health of President Buhari are different from that of Yar’Adua.
“The case of President Buhari is different in the sense that this government is open government. When Buhari was going out of the country, he wrote to the National Assembly notifying the lawmakers that he would be going for vacation and from there he would see his doctor.
“Again, his sickness is normal considering his age – over 70 years. You have to thank Almighty Allah for a President of this age to be performing well. It is not surprising that some people are peddling rumours that President Buhari is dead. Even in your community or home, you will see people who wish you good and those who wish you bad,” Malam Mato said.
The Treasurer of Buhari Youth Congress for Change, BYCC, the group that carried out a rally in support of President Buhari in Daura, recently, Yawalle Musa Kallah, is also one of those who expressed mixed feelings over the state of health of President Buhari.
“The condition of health of President Buhari is something that came with a lot of concern but again why we are not worried is because it is bound to happen to any human. Today, you are healthy and tomorrow you are sick,” he said.
On his part, former Chairman and pioneer member of APP in Daura, Alhaji Sani Kilishi said: “It’s sad to hear that today one of your own is sick. You will definitely not be happy. This now makes it binding on one to pray for such person and that was why we pray for him.”
In spite of the concerns, a host of Katsina people are keeping their hopes in God that all will be well with the President and he will remain at the helm of affairs of the nation till the end of his tenure.
Vanguard reports