By Henry Umoru
ABUJA- FORMER Minister of State, Education, Olorogun Kenneth Gbagi has taken a swipe at the masterminds of the health condition of President Muhammadu Buhari, who is on vacation in the United Kingdom and rumouring that he was dead.

In a statement he signed and made available to Journalists in Abuja Weekend, Gbagi who described the rumour as callous, wicked, barbaric and ungodly, urged Nigerians to pray for the safe return of President Mohammed Buhari, adding that what the President wants from Nigerians across all divide irrespective of religion or tribe is prayer and not wishing him dead.

The former Minister who noted that President Buhari is first a human being and a citizen of Nigeria who has the right to proceed for a period of rest and medical checkup, said, ” I think the rumour of the death of the President is unnecessary. Nigerians should develop the habit of praying for their leaders, for God’s guidance in ensuring that good democratic government was provided for.

“Nigerians should ignore comments by rumour mill and pray for the president. God has a reason for creating us with different tribes, background, ethnic and religious differences. We must be seen to be tolerant with one another for peace, progress and political stability of our dear country, Nigeria.”

According to Gbagi, it was unfortunate that some Nigerians like peddling negative speculation to the extreme, rather than wish the President well, adding, ” what we owe president Muhammadu Buhari is prayer, not the kind of sponsored, negative speculation that, sometimes, you wonder what the people really want.

“At this time of economic recession, rather than wish President Buhari dead, Nigerians should fervently pray for him to enjoy good health to be able to take the country out of the present economic woes.”

Gbagi who noted that the attitude of doing false reports about the death of the nation’s leaders has become characteristic in the media, which must be condemned and jettisoned in all its ramifications, said, “the former Chairman, Board of Trustees, BoT of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Tony Anenih was a victim of this in May last year when it was reported that he died in a London hospital. Former President Ibrahim Babangida was also a victim of such sinister rumoured death last year. People had also wished late Nnamdi Azikiwe dead, he was reported dead, burial committee formed, but unfortunately, all those who were members of the funeral committee for Azikiwe, one after the other, died, but Azikiwe was alive.

” What we do not wish for ourselves, we should not wish for it others. I wonder what those behind the false and mischievous reports would want to gain from such. ”