by Alexander o. Onukwue

In her interview on Channels TV, Ms Lauretta Onochie let Nigerians know that they needed to learn how things are done in the UK where she comes from.

This is not conjecture or putting words into her mouth; she said that. The President’s personal assistant on social media, on explaining why Nigerians should stifle their intrusive desire to know about Buhari’s health, said that “in the UK where I come from, nobody will release anybody’s health records to another, not even the members of their family unless the person decides to approve”

President Muhammadu Buhari is now in his 13th week London on a medical vacation. Nigerians appreciate the fact that, as was the case early in the year when the Buhari embarked on his first trip to London, there was a transfer of power to Yemi Osinbajo. The nation is not on auto-pilot and there is no present urgency on Buhari like there was in 2010.

That said, the present circumstances present a new kind of challenge to Nigerians and the answer is definitely not in keeping mum and focusing on “Nigeria is Working” as appears to be what Ms Onochie wants. And for what it’s worth, that is definitely not how things work in the UK where she comes from.

‘In the UK where she comes from’, a Prime Minister resigned last year for failing to deliver on a bet he had made on the Brexit referendum because he did not feel he would have the backing of the nation to continue in his position. In the same UK, Prince Philip will no longer perform public duties and that’s not even because of medical issues. President Buhari, if he were a public official in the UK, would not be receiving treatment in another country for more than 90 days, after pledging that there would be no more medical tourism under his watch.

Being that she came from the UK, Ms Onochie should know that there is much dignity and decency about how public officials and their representatives speak about issues. It can only be expected that she takes another look at ‘where she comes from’ and see the proper way to say some of the things she says in public.

Editor