Osinbajo flies to London on Buhari’s invitation

The Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, on Tuesday left Nigeria for
London, United Kingdom, where he is scheduled to meet ailing
President Muhammadu Buhari.

Buhari left the country on May 7 for the British capital where
he is currently receiving medical treatment.

He had, in a communication to the two chambers of the National
Assembly indicated that only his doctors would decide the duration
of his medical trip which is the second one this year.

Our correspondent learnt that Osinbajo travelled to London to
see the President shortly after he presided over the Quarterly
Presidential Business Forum held at the Presidential Villa.

It was further learnt that the Acting President’s trip was at
the instance of Buhari.

The Senior Special Assistant to the Acting President on Media
and Publicity, Mr. Laolu Akande, confirmed Osinbajo’s trip to
London in a message on his Twitter handle.

Akande said Osinbajo would meet Buhari in London and return to
the country immediately after the meeting.

He wrote, “AgP Osinbajo meeting with President Buhari in London
today, and returning to Abuja immediately afterwards.”

Since Buhari left the country for his medical trip, there have
been some pending matters that Osinbajo has not attended to despite
that the President formally handed over power to him.

For instance, Osinbajo has so far failed to inaugurate the two
ministers who were on May 3 confirmed by the Senate, Stephen Ocheni
(Kogi) and Suleiman Hassan (Gombe).

The slots of Kogi and Gombe states in the federal cabinet had
been vacant following the death of the Minister of State for
Labour, Mr. James Ocholi (SAN), in an accident on March 6, 2016;
and the appointment of former Minister of the Environment, Amina
Mohammed, as the Deputy Secretary-General of the United
Nations.

Osinbajo had also failed to take a decision on the fate of the
suspended Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir
Lawal; and the suspended Director General of the National
Intelligence Agency, Ambassador Ayo Oke, despite heading the
three-man panel that probed the two government officials.

Buhari had on April 19 suspended the two government officials
and constituted a three-man committee led by Osinbajo to
investigate them.

The panel investigated allegations of violations of law and due
process made against Lawal in the award of contracts under the
Presidential Initiative on the North-East while it probed Oke on
the discovery of large amount of foreign and local currencies by
the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in a residential
apartment at Osborne Towers, Ikoyi, Lagos, for which NIA is laying
claim.

There have been reports that despite formally handing over power
to Osinbajo, some individuals being described as cabal members had
been ruling the country by proxy.

Since he left, there have been no photographs of the President
and visitors as was witnessed during his first medical trip this
year.

This fuelled speculations that the President had been in bad
shape.

His wife, Aisha, who joined him in London last Tuesday had
however on Monday gave an indication that God had answered the
prayers of Nigerians that had been praying for the recovery of the
ailing President.

The Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, on Tuesday left Nigeria for
London, United Kingdom, where he is scheduled to meet ailing
President Muhammadu Buhari.

Buhari left the country on May 7 for the British capital where
he is currently receiving medical treatment.

He had, in a communication to the two chambers of the National
Assembly indicated that only his doctors would decide the duration
of his medical trip which is the second one this year.

Our correspondent learnt that Osinbajo travelled to London to
see the President shortly after he presided over the Quarterly
Presidential Business Forum held at the Presidential Villa.

It was further learnt that the Acting President’s trip was at
the instance of Buhari.

The Senior Special Assistant to the Acting President on Media
and Publicity, Mr. Laolu Akande, confirmed Osinbajo’s trip to
London in a message on his Twitter handle.

Akande said Osinbajo would meet Buhari in London and return to
the country immediately after the meeting.

He wrote, “AgP Osinbajo meeting with President Buhari in London
today, and returning to Abuja immediately afterwards.”

Since Buhari left the country for his medical trip, there have
been some pending matters that Osinbajo has not attended to despite
that the President formally handed over power to him.

For instance, Osinbajo has so far failed to inaugurate the two
ministers who were on May 3 confirmed by the Senate, Stephen Ocheni
(Kogi) and Suleiman Hassan (Gombe).

The slots of Kogi and Gombe states in the federal cabinet had
been vacant following the death of the Minister of State for
Labour, Mr. James Ocholi (SAN), in an accident on March 6, 2016;
and the appointment of former Minister of the Environment, Amina
Mohammed, as the Deputy Secretary-General of the United
Nations.

Osinbajo had also failed to take a decision on the fate of the
suspended Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir
Lawal; and the suspended Director General of the National
Intelligence Agency, Ambassador Ayo Oke, despite heading the
three-man panel that probed the two government officials.

Buhari had on April 19 suspended the two government officials
and constituted a three-man committee led by Osinbajo to
investigate them.

The panel investigated allegations of violations of law and due
process made against Lawal in the award of contracts under the
Presidential Initiative on the North-East while it probed Oke on
the discovery of large amount of foreign and local currencies by
the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in a residential
apartment at Osborne Towers, Ikoyi, Lagos, for which NIA is laying
claim.

There have been reports that despite formally handing over power
to Osinbajo, some individuals being described as cabal members had
been ruling the country by proxy.

Since he left, there have been no photographs of the President
and visitors as was witnessed during his first medical trip this
year.

This fuelled speculations that the President had been in bad
shape.

His wife, Aisha, who joined him in London last Tuesday had
however on Monday gave an indication that God had answered the
prayers of Nigerians that had been praying for the recovery of the
ailing President.