Despite speculations about the death of President Muhammadu Buhari, Aso Rock sources tell BusinessDay that the president is alive and actually strategising. 

Inside sources at the Aso Rock seat of government say the president who left for a vacation in the United Kingdom is taking time off to rest and ponder over some pertinent decisions he has to make in steering the sheep of the nation. 

"He really needed to think and make some decisions", an official who pleaded anonymity told our correspondent, adding that "the president may be making some key pronouncements on his return."

President Buhari left the country on the 19th of January after a statement by presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina said the president was proceeding on a short leave, as part of his annual vacation. 

Buhari who is expected to resume on February 6, 2017 "will also undergo routine medical check ups". 

According to Adesina, in line with Section 145 (1) of the 1999 constitution (as amended), President Buhari duly informed the President of the Senate and Speaker, House of Representatives and handed over to Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, who will act in his stead till he returns. 

The president is scheduled to resume next week Monday and will be expected to make some pertinent changes and pronouncements about government policies, especially as they affect the economy. 

Buhari, 74, jetted out of the country four days before the day he communicated to the National Assembly, raising concerns about the state of his health. The social media has been awash with speculations of the president’s death and his aides have continued to reiterate that those were baseless rumours. 

However at the Presidential Villa, there have been no signs of fear or sadness amongst those who know the true state of the president’s health as they continue to reiterate that he is doing well. 

The president’s wife, Aisha, also joined her husband on this trip, a departure from his other vacations.

Sources say just a day after President Buhari left the country, his nephew, Mamman Daura who is said to be a strong influencer of the decisions in the Presidency, left for the United Kingdom to join him. 

Last year, the President’s wife raised an alarm that a certain cabal had hijacked her husband's administration, forcing him to sideline those who worked assiduously for his election bid. 

Nigerians pressurised by the biting recession had raised concerns about the timing of the president’s vacation, saying there were so many key decisions that needed to be urgently taken to correct the ailing economy.

Businessday