President Buhari To Work From Home, Writes National Assembly

President Buhari To Work From Home, Writes National Assembly

President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday wrote to the two chambers of the National Assembly to intimate the federal lawmakers that he had resumed work after spending 104 days outside the country.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, disclosed this in a statement on Monday.

Adesina said the communication was in line with the constitutional provision that required Buhari to notify the lawmakers of his return.

“In compliance with Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), I write to intimate that I have resumed my functions as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria with effect from Monday, August 21, 2017, after my medical follow-up in the United Kingdom,” Adesina quoted Buhari as stating in the letter dated August 21.

Adesina later told reporters that the letter to the National Assembly was dispatched at few minutes after 11am.

“Some few minutes past 11am, the President signed the letter notifying the National Assembly of his resumption. A copy has been sent to the Senate President and a copy has been sent to the Speaker, House of Representatives, so the President has resumed,” he said.

On what his resumption meant to Nigerians, the presidential spokesman said, “It means the President they voted into office, who has been serving them and who was indisposed for some time and who came back on Saturday, is ready to continue with the work he has been doing.”

On Nigerians reaction to the President’s broadcast that his message was not explicit enough, Adesina said, “That broadcast was just one step of many steps that are going to be taken in the days and weeks and months ahead; so you can’t expect that everything will be said in one day.”

Meanwhile, Buhari who returned to the country on Saturday will be working from his official residence, and not his office, for now.

A Presidency source, who spoke to State House correspondents on condition of anonymity, attributed the development to ongoing renovation in the President’s office.

The source did not disclose how long the renovation will last.

Also, one of our correspondents reported that Buhari’s letter was personally brought by the President’s Senior Special Assistant on National Assembly Matters (House of Representatives), Mr. Abdulrahman Kawu, to the two chambers.

Kawu dropped a copy at the office of the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, and another one at the office of the Speaker of the House, Mr. Yakubu Dogara.

A stamped copy of the letter was received at the House on behalf of Dogara by his Deputy Chief of Staff, Mr. Cyril Maduabum, about 2.20pm.

Kalu stated that Buhari transmitted the letter to fulfil the constitutional requirement.

The National Assembly is on recess till September 19.

However, Kawu explained that the transmission of the letter, being an administrative matter, did not require the National Assembly to be in session.

He said, “The President is back; he has resumed and I am here to deliver the declaration to the National Assembly.

“Any constitutional worker of the National Assembly will take the letter and process it for onward transmission to the Senate President and the Speaker.

“What is important is for Mr. President to write and say ‘I am back.’ He has just done that and that is all.”

Saraki on Monday confirmed receipt of the letter from Buhari, which informed the Senate of his resumption.

Saraki, who was said to be in the UK as of Monday, made the confirmation on his Facebook wall.

His post read, “I have received a letter from President Muhammadu Buhari informing the Senate that he has returned to the country. I have also acknowledged the letter.”

Also, Dogara’s office confirmed the receipt of the President’s letter on Monday.

His media aide, Mr. Turaki Hassan, made the confirmation in a statement.

It read, “Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Yakubu Dogara, has acknowledged the receipt of the communication from President Muhammadu Buhari, notifying the House of Representatives of his resumption.”