"I WILL WORK FROM HOME; Says Buhari As He Orders For Files

Once again, Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday was absent from the meeting of the Federal Executive Council, FEC which held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

In the same vein, about three quarters of the Ministers were equally absent at the meeting.


In the absence of the President, thevVice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo presided over the meeting.

Wednesday’s meeting was in no way different from what played out penultimate Wednesday when the members of FEC were already seated with the VP and Ministers who were expectant of the President, appearing to preside over the meeting got disappointed following Buhari failure to show up.

Just as the meeting did not hold last week which, govt officials later attributed to the Easter holiday, expectations that the President would attend yesterday’s edition that featured the acting Secretary to the Government of Federation, SGF, Dr. Habibat Lawan, this week's meeting also failed.

Available reports stated that, Osinbajo, at about 11am, got whispers from the State Chief of Protocol, SCOP and thereafter called for the National Anthem and opening prayers, signalling the commencement of the meeting.

As the got underway, journalists were later excused from the meeting.

Briefing State House correspondents at the end of the meeting that lasted only for two hours, Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed said that the President could not attend because he needed some rest at home.

He added that "the President has requested that all the files on his table be brought to him, saying he would be working from home".

"We just concluded the Federal Executive Council meeting, I am sure you noticed that the President was not there. He was not there because he asked that he be allowed to rest and asked the VP to preside".

"And he will be working from home. He has asked all his files to be taken to him in the house. He will be working from home today", Mohammed said.

The Information and Culture Minister also repeated the same to Vanguard which sought more clarification in an exclusive interview.

"He was not in that meeting because the President sent word that he wanted to rest and he wanted the VP to preside over and he asked for all his files to be brought back to him that he will be working from the house".

When informed that there was an air of surprise back in the hall when the Vice President called for the recitation of the national anthem, Mohammed said "that’s your own opinion".

On whether the government would formally apologize to The Punch Newspaper over the "sack" of its State House correspondent, Mr. Olalekan Adetayo from the Presidential Villa as demanded by the organization, the Minister said that the steps already taken by the Presidential Media aides should suffice.

"I don't think we should blow a matter out of proportion. The Special Adviser to the President on Media, Mr. Adesina immediately took a step that reversed that. I think that is proof enough that this government is not about stifling the press".

"You forget it is the same administration that restored the pass of Dutchewalle Reporter. I am happy with what the media aides have done. I think that settles it", Lai Mohammed said.