The Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, has declared that the Federal Government has no intention of disclosing how much President Muhammadu Buhari spent on his medical vacation in the United Kingdom.
The Minister, who briefed State House correspondents, on Wednesday, at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari, reacting to the calls for the President to disclose the amount spent on his medical treatment abroad said doing so may jeopardize national security.
Flanked by the Minister of Interior, Abdulraman Danbazzu and the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, Mohammed said it was too sensitive to disclose the amount spent on the President’s health.
“This matter has come several times and our position on the matter is quite straight forward. What are the President’s conditions of service? What are his entitlements in terms of his wellbeing and health care? The state is supposed to take responsibility for these,” he said.
“We believe that asking for how much has been spent on the health of the President is an issue that we should weigh very well both for national security and also for moral issues.
“I don’t know why we must divulge such very sensitive information. I might be wrong but I don’t have experience elsewhere that the President of any country will be ill and be forced to disclose how much the state has spent on his health.
“Yes, there is Freedom of Information Act but it is also carved in such a way that when such information is likely to endanger national security, I think it is an area that is not covered.”
He also said that the executive is concerned that the relationship between the executive and legislative arms of government is not as smooth as it is supposed to be noted that it is a continuous struggle in any democracy for balancing between the Executive and the Legislature because each of them are creatures of the law.
“We must strive at all times to ensure that there is that balance, amity and smooth relationship.
“Just today at the Federal Executive Council meeting, the issue was discussed and a committee is already working on ensuring that we resolve all these outstanding issues,” he said.