Buhari Not Going on 20-Day Vacation in UK—Presidency

By Dipo Olowookere

The presidency has debunked a rumour making the rounds that President Muhammadu Buhari was planning to embark on a 20-day vacation to the United Kingdom.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, described this rumour as fake news, urging Nigerians to disregard.

Mr Adesina said the “falsehood” was being concocted by some “mischievous minds” against members of the first family, ministers, top government officials, the military, and other key institutions.

According to him, these “enemies of national cohesion [and] purveyors of fake information” will stop at nothing to come up with items to rubbish the present government.

“Purveyors of fake and concocted Information are currently on overdrive, and Nigerians are urged to be careful what they consume as news, and also share with others, particularly from the social media.

“An unfounded information has been making the rounds that President Muhammadu Buhari is billed to travel to the United Kingdom for 20 days, and from there proceed to Saudi Arabia, and then Austria. Fake. It is nothing but falsehood from mischievous minds.

“Members of the First Family, Ministers, top government officials, the military, and other key institutions, are equally objects of this orchestrated falsehood, coming from enemies of national cohesion,” the statement from the presidency said.

“We urge Nigerians to be discriminatory about what they accept as credible information, and restrain themselves from sharing what they have not authenticated as genuine. That is how we can all collectively beat the malevolent minds at their pernicious games,” it added.

Last week, President Buhari returned from a tip to Ethiopia, where he attended an event of the African Union. On his return, he went straight to Maiduguri, Borno State, to commensurate with victims of Boko Haram attack.

Before the trip, he was in the United Kingdom for the maiden edition of the UK-Africa Investment Summit, where he strengthened the ties between Britain and Nigeria.

In 2017, he was in London for a vacation.