The President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari was expected back today 6 February 2017 after a two-week medical tourism vacation in the United Kingdom but that was not to be.

The President, in a statement through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina confirmed that he will be extending his stay in the UK to “complete the test cycle before returning.”

The recent statement from Aso Rock adds increasing agitation to the rumours and speculation on how bad the state of health of Buhari, who is aged 74, really is, key among which is “when is the president expected back?”

As at when the President waved goodbye to the shores of Nigeria on January 20, 2017 – two days earlier than expected – it wasn’t long before stories were being peddled on his death. The news spread on social media like wildfire and in some instances promptly supported by some Nigerians along ethnoreligious divides.

What didn’t help the rumours was the unethical way the media aides in the Presidency handled the matter, “dragging” persons on social media and just fanning the flames of discontent among concerned citizens.

The case of “Baba go-slow” as Buhari is affectionately called is not one that is entirely new to Nigerians. Late President Musa Yar’adua was surrounded by speculations about his health despite a more coordinated communications strategy that assured Nigerians that all was well, but Yar’adua passed away while in office in 2010 from a heart condition.

There is a difference, though. President Muhammadu Buhari has already conferred acting powers on his vice, Yemi Osinbajo making him effectively the Acting-President of Nigeria, similar to what late Fidel Castro did in 2006 when he transferred acting powers to his brother Raul Castro, when the late Cuban Head of State had to undergo surgery.

The heated debate on the President’s health, as well as the death rumours, has prompted a lot of questions and semi-answers.

President Buhari talks a big game when it comes to tackling corruption in his country, yet his move to seek medical attention abroad undermines any efforts to improve healthcare infrastructure in Nigeria amid talks of corrupt practices in the sector.

However, as much as there is talk about the President revealing his state of health, some analysts are of the opinion that public office holders that seek to be elected into power should start to present medical reports – a culture that is not yet prominent in Nigeria and one that many feel that if put in place might be characterised by forgeries just to get elected. Has it begun to dawn on Nigerians that Buhari is actually old?

He had run the race three previous times in 2003, 2007, and 2011 before winning the 2015 Presidential elections. At his current age of 74, we just have to admit that Buhari is old and we need to face the reality that older persons are predisposed to their own medical issues.

The President has the mandate to steer his country as he has continually made in statements before proceeding on medical vacation but is he obligated intimate Nigerians on his health status?

Or should a constitutional amendment that asks the key public officials to reveal their health status at regular intervals be put in place?

The current extension of Buhari’s medical leave just adds to the list of reasons why confidence in his administration continues to dip. The economy is at an all-time low, prices of commodities continues to rise while the spending power of Nigerians is increasingly limited.

The buzz around the President’s death travelled faster and was gulped with disdain, sentiment and a little bit of gullibility not just because of social media but also as result of the some of the factors mentioned as life is tipping towards unbearable for many.

There are questions that need to be answered on where Nigeria is heading or if this is the change that the electorate were promised as the Buhari administration approaches its two year mark – halfway through his four-year tenure – questions many feel that the president would be in the best position to address.

“There is light at the end of the tunnel,

What if the light did not last long enough to see the end of the tunnel,

Or what if the tunnel is more than a million miles away,

How will the body reach when it is already worn away?” – Saliu