Headlines
Stop Buhari from seeking medical treatment abroad – Senate
BY NICHOLAS ABE
The Senate of the Federal Republic on Thursday, urged State House officials to stop President Muhammadu Buhari, from embarking on foreign medical trips by ensuring that the State House clinic becomes fully functional this year.
The Senate Committee on Federal Character and Intergovernmental Affairs, gave the charge when the Permanent Secretary of the State House, Tijani Umar, defended his 2021 budget estimates before the panel.
Umar had presented a total budget proposal of N19.7 billion for the 2021 fiscal year, out of which N1.3 billion was earmarked for the State House Clinic.
The Chairman of the Committee, Senator Danjuma La’ah, in his reaction said the panel would approve the budget for the State House Clinic but that the President and other top officials of his government should no longer be flown abroad for medical treatment.
However, Umar while answering questions from reporters said the State House administration would put necessary arrangements in place to meet the medical needs of the President and other top officials of the presidency once the budget was approved.
The First Lady, Mrs Aisha Buhari, had sometime in 2017 publicly upbraided the Chief Medical Director of the State House Medical Centre, Dr. Husain Munir, for the poor state of the facility meant to take care of the President, Vice-President, their families as well as members of staff of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
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She spoke at the opening of a two-day stakeholders’ meeting on Reproductive, Maternal, New-born Child, Adolescent Health and Nutrition held at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa.
She said:“Few weeks ago, I was sick as well. They advised me to take the first flight out to London; I refused to go. I said I must be treated in Nigeria because there is a budget for an assigned clinic to take care of us. If the budget is N100m, we need to know how the budget is spent.
“Along the line, I insisted they call Aso Clinic to find out if the X-ray machine is working. They said it was not working. They didn’t know I was the one that was supposed to be in that hospital at that very time.
“I had to go to a hospital that was established by foreigners 100 per cent. What does that mean?
“So, I think it is high time we did the right thing. If something like this can happen to me, there is no need for me to ask the governors’ wives what is happening in their states. This is Abuja and this is the highest seat of government, and this is the Presidential Villa.”