Posted by By RAZAQ BAMIDELE on
A socio-political pressure group, Nigeria Youths and Elders Forum (NYEF) has described the alarm being raised over the state of President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua's health as 'unnecessary exaggeration" saying 'there is nothing specially wrong with Mr. President that can suggest that he is medically deficient."
A socio-political pressure group, Nigeria Youths and Elders Forum (NYEF) has described the alarm being raised over the state of President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua's health as 'unnecessary exaggeration" saying 'there is nothing specially wrong with Mr. President that can suggest that he is medically deficient."
The National President of the group, Alhaji Habib Alasure, told Daily Sun in Lagos on his way back to Abuja from the Republic of Benin that 'there is nothing unusual about his going for medical check-up abroad," adding that 'even former President Bill Clinton of America underwent surgical operations twice while in office."
According to Alasure, nobody entertained fears over Clinton's medical condition, wondering 'why Nigerians took special interest in the health of Mr. President as if falling sick periodically is not natural to every human being."
Although the NYEF boss appreciated the genuine concern of well meaning Nigerians over Yar'Adua's medical condition, he, however, expressed suspicion over the way some people were blowing the issue out of proportion, cautioning that reactions of some people might be misconstrued to harbour ulterior motives.
'In as much as we appreciate the genuine concern of some well meaning Nigerians over the matter, we are also very much apprehensive of some other people whose reactions appear to harbour ulterior motives.
'We are being compelled to believe that the rumour over Mr. President's health is being peddled by the so-called political detractors who are possibly out to discredit the workaholic man whose main pre-occupation is to move Nigeria to a level that will make all of us proud," the NYEF leader stated, warning that such unfounded rumour, if not checked, could cause unnecessary misgiving in the country.
While assuring Nigerians that 'Yar'Adua is physically and mentally sound," Alasure advised that any unfounded rumour from any quarters should be ignored reminding that 'everybody has one ailment or the other that he gives attention to." That of Mr. President, according to him, was never a peculiar phenomenon.
He, therefore, urged Nigerians to assist Yar'Adua's administration in all his efforts at building a corruption free nation where the rule of law and due process would be the order of the day stating that 'just within a year in office, the image of the country has changed for better in the eyes of international community."