The Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, has responded to allegations that President Buhari spent about $15 million for the treatment of his ear infection in the UK earlier in the year.
He was responding to the allegation by a renown journalism veteran, Professor Farooq Kperogi.
Mr Shehu, in a statement on his Facebook page said: “The disclosure on Professor Farooq Kperogi’s wall that President Muhammadu Buhari’s ear treatment in the United Kingdom cost a whopping six million pounds must have shocked many of the respected scholar’s followers.
“The story reads like an incredible tale by moonlight that belongs to a different era, which fortunately is now history. That’s when a fortunate lady saved $15 million for medical treatment!
“But was it possible that the account of this balanced journalism teacher was hacked? I will give him the benefit of the doubt.
“Given the austere president we have, Muhammadu Buhari would not have approved this amount if he was shown a six million Pounds bill. I won’t be surprised if the President may have asked if the fat bill was for the purchase of a brand new pair of ears.
“I’m prepared to share documents with Farooq, one of the brightest ever produced from the Bayero University Kano (BUK) that the whole treatment, including a follow-up visit by a specialist to Nigeria didn’t cost 50,000 pounds.
“For the records, the administration advanced a higher sum, but the President’s doctor returned the balance to the treasury.
“Indeed, it’s a new day, and President Buhari’s change mantra is real. Let no one confuse my fellow countrymen and women.” Shehu said.