As Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari was
beginning his latest
visit to London more than a month ago, a new series of Big Brother
Nigeria was getting under way.
A former military ruler known for his no-nonsense
style would appear to have little in common with a reality TV show where
contestants engage in attention-seeking behaviour. But both subjects were soon
generating headlines for the same reason - neither of them were in Nigeria. It
turned out that Big Brother was actually being filmed in South Africa - a
decision that led Nigeria's information minister to launch an investigation.
While the howls of protests from outraged Big
Brother fans soon died down, the clamour over Nigeria's leader's extended
medical stay in London is not going away. President Buhari's absence comes as
Africa's most populous nation is gripped by its worst economic crisis in decades,
and faces the threat of famine in north-east Nigeria, which has been devastated
by the Boko Haram insurgency. And unlike Big Brother, there are no constant
updates - in fact, President Buhari, 74, has not given a single interview since
arriving in the UK. Instead, the Nigerian public is relying on pictures -
posted on Twitter - of their leader meeting senior UK officials as proof that
he still is alive.
The latest
statement issued by the government said there was "no cause for
worry" about the president's health but his medical leave was being
extended. Nigerians have now heard their leader's voice for the first time
since he left for the UK after a telephone
conversation with the governor of the northern state of Kano was
played out loud at a prayer meeting.
His month-long stay so far has angered some
Nigerians after he promised
to crack down on "medical tourism" by officials. Last
June, President Buhari spent nearly two weeks in London receiving treatment for
an ear infection. But the bigger issue this time is that officials have
repeatedly refused to disclose his illness and are not saying when he will
return to Nigeria.
'Urgent decisions'
In a country where rumours are rife, the
presidential statements have done little to dampen the speculation about the
leader's health. Nigerians are acutely sensitive to leaders travelling abroad
for medical reasons after President
Umaru Yar'Adua died while in office in 2010. For months, the public was kept in the dark
while he received treatment in Saudi Arabia.
The period of uncertainty created deep political
instability in the country. The current president's supporters say that is
emphatically not the case this time. They point to the fact that President
Buhari constitutionally handed over power to his vice-president, Yemi Osinbajo,
as he has done on previous trips, rather than governing from afar.
He did take one phone call while in London,
however, from the US President Donald Trump - the first between the two
leaders. "There is no vacuum at the top," says political analyst
Jibrin Ibrahim.
"President Buhari takes his constitutional
role seriously, and has not personalised power, unlike other African leaders.
Lack of
authority?
"My chief criticism is that his government
has been acting like it has all the time in the world, when in fact urgent
decisions needed to be made in regard to the economy."
But, perhaps, one of the most striking things
about President Buhari's absence has been the go-getting style of the acting
leader. Yemi Osinbajo is preparing to launch an economic recovery plan.
He also led a high-profile delegation to the
Niger Delta to voice support for a government agreement with local militants
groups that have seriously disrupted the region's oil production.
But critics say that despite all his activity,
the vice-president has no real authority. "He cannot perform because
ministers and other political appointments are not obliged to be loyal to him
as he didn't appoint them," said Isuwa Dogo, a political analyst, and a
member of the opposition party.
"President Buhari is a public figure and
there is no need for him to hide behind his health issues.
"I want him to be back in the county. If
there are successes, he will get the credit. If there are failures, he will get
the blame."So, while Big Brother fans will know in April who has been
crowned the series winner, for now, no-one seems to know when Nigeria's
president will come back home.
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