In our series of letters from African
journalists, the editor-in-chief of Nigeria's Daily Trust newspaper,
Mannir Dan Ali, writes that President Muhamadu Buhari has been accused
of being as secretive about his health as his US counterpart Donald
Trump has been about his tax returns.
Nigerians are increasingly worried about Mr Buhari's health, hoping that he does not die in office like President Umaru Yar'Adua did in 2010, after a lengthy illness which saw him fly to Germany and Saudi Arabia for treatment.
The latest concerns have been fuelled by the fact that Mr Buhari, 74, missed the last two cabinet meetings and failed to attend Friday's Muslim prayers, even though the mosque is about a minute's walk from his office and residence.
The government has shared little information about his health, and a journalist with a leading newspaper was thrown out of State House by the president's chief security officer after he reported on the latest concerns.
Mr Buhari's media aides distanced themselves from the officer's actions, and got a more senior security officer to overturn the ban on the reporter attending State House press conferences and other events.
The incident showed that the president's aides are finding it difficult to deal with questions about the health of the former military ruler. Unfortunately for them, the issue is not about to go away.
After returning from a seven-week medical trip to the UK in early March, Mr Buhari said he had never been "so sick" in his life and hinted, without giving details, that he had had a blood transfusion.
Since then, there have been credible reports that his UK doctors have been to Nigeria to treat him, although these have not been confirmed.
The president has also cut down on his official engagements and no longer ventures out of State House.
Nigerians are increasingly worried about Mr Buhari's health, hoping that he does not die in office like President Umaru Yar'Adua did in 2010, after a lengthy illness which saw him fly to Germany and Saudi Arabia for treatment.
The latest concerns have been fuelled by the fact that Mr Buhari, 74, missed the last two cabinet meetings and failed to attend Friday's Muslim prayers, even though the mosque is about a minute's walk from his office and residence.
The government has shared little information about his health, and a journalist with a leading newspaper was thrown out of State House by the president's chief security officer after he reported on the latest concerns.
Mr Buhari's media aides distanced themselves from the officer's actions, and got a more senior security officer to overturn the ban on the reporter attending State House press conferences and other events.
The incident showed that the president's aides are finding it difficult to deal with questions about the health of the former military ruler. Unfortunately for them, the issue is not about to go away.
After returning from a seven-week medical trip to the UK in early March, Mr Buhari said he had never been "so sick" in his life and hinted, without giving details, that he had had a blood transfusion.
Since then, there have been credible reports that his UK doctors have been to Nigeria to treat him, although these have not been confirmed.
The president has also cut down on his official engagements and no longer ventures out of State House.
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