Former presidential aide, Mr Reno Omokri and some Nigerians on Friday stormed the street of Kensington, London, to stage a protest at the Nigeria House, against President Muhammadu Buhari’s medical trip to the UK.
Omokri, who often describes himself as ‘Buhari tormentor’, alongside some other Nigerians, criticized the President who is currently in London for a routine medical checkup.
Recall that on Wednesday, the President had departed the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja for the United Kingdom for the medical trip.
Omokri, who is also the founder of the Free Leah Sharibu Movement, a media campaign advocating for the freedom of Sharibu, who was abducted by Boko Haram, led a group of protesters to the Abuja House located at 2 Campden Hill, Kensington, London, displaying placards with different inscriptions.
The former presidential aide questioned the decision of the President to have himself treated in London.
Earlier, Omokri had kick-started his criticism of President on twitter for his medical trip to London by creating the #HarassBuhariOutOfLondon.
According to him, since Buhari assumed office in 2015, “he has budgeted N10.2 billion for Aso Rock Clinic, that is $26million.”
Omokri also criticized the President for leaving the country at the time the National Association of Resident Doctors(NARD), embarked on an indefinite strike, Thursday.
Recall the aggrieved doctors commenced an indefinite strike due to reasons which included, non-payment of salaries of some house officers, non-recruitment of house officers, abolishments of the bench fees for doctors undergoing training in other hospitals, non-payment of National Minimum Wage and hazard allowances.
The former Presidential aide, who was addressing his fellow protesters, in a video he shared on his official Twitter handle, also lamented the insecurity situations in the country.
Speaking on the #EndSARS protest, a campaign against Police brutality, Omokri, alleged Buhari of sending the Nigerian Army to kill the peaceful protesters on October 20, 2020.
In his words, “We are here because we have a tyrant in that building (Abuja House), Muhammadu Buhari. This is a man who on 20th of October, sent soldiers to Lekki, to kill peaceful EndSars Protesters. What were they asking for?, they were asking for good governance, that was all they were asking for. They didn’t come with gun. This is a man rehabilitating Boko Haram that are killing people. They are having graduation parties-Boko Haram, and yet he sent Soldiers to Lekki. When his son, Yusuf had a accident, research it, Google it, I prayed for him and then you sent soldiers to kill the children of Nigerians that were praying for your own son when he had an accident. Look at this man, he has been in the office for five years, in that five years, he has budgeted N10.2 billion for Aso Rock Clinic, that is $26million. In that five years, you(Buhari) can’t build one hospital that can treat you and other Nigerians. When I was coming here (Abuja House), people said what did PDP do when they were in government. The reason Nigerians voted PDP our was because this man, Muhammadu Buhari said, “I can do better than PDP”, okay, at least PDP, Jonathan, built a National Trauma Centre, the only trauma centre in Nigeria. This man has been in office, what hospital has he built. He left Nigeria the day Doctors went on strike, the day they began their strike. Only 5% of Nigerians have access to Doctors, but look at what is happening here. You(Buhari) are not building hospitals for people and then you come here to enjoy the best of health sector in the country that has law and order.”
The New Diplomat had reported that Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Garba Shehu had stressed that there was no emergency for the President to travel to London as it was a routine check-up he had done in the past.
He insisted that the President was not sick in any way.
Shehu said the President began his yearly medical trip to London even before he came into office as Nigeria’s president in 2015.
“The President is looking at the window of opportunity that has opened with the Easter Holiday. It’s a much relaxed period for everyone –Good Friday, Easter Monday, National Holidays. Then, he will use that period for his regular medical check-up.
“This is something he has done for so many years even before he came to office. Every year, he had appointment with his doctors and he went there to do it. The only anomaly this time around is that COVID prevented this kind of thing to hold in 2020. So, he has lost some period. The last time he was there was one and half years back.”
