ABUJA, Nigeria (Reuters) - Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said on Friday he will need more rest and medical tests, leaving his deputy Yemi Osinbajo to run the country's affairs, after coming home following nearly two months of medical leave in Britain.
In his first comments since arriving back from London in the morning, the 74-year former general told officials he was feeling "much better" but wanted to rest over the weekend.
The decision to let Vice President Osinbajo run the administration is likely to reassure investors as he is seen as business-friendly, stamping his authority on economic policy in Africa's top oil producer during Buhari's absence.
Dressed in a kaftan and Muslim prayer cap, Buhari walked stiffly but unaided from his plane after it landed at an air force base in the northern city of Kaduna as the airport in the capital Abuja is closed for runway repairs.
After greeting a handful of provincial and military officials, he boarded a helicopter to Abuja for meetings with Osinbajo and his top military commanders, greeting a long line of officials waiting for him.
Buhari did not disclose his sickness.
"I couldn't recall when last I had a blood transfusion," he said at the presidential villa.
"I deliberately came back towards the weekend so that the Vice President will continue and I will continue to rest," Buhari added. "All I need is to do further followups within some weeks."
Buhari has travelled to Britain several times to consult doctors since getting elected two years ago.
Officials have refused to disclose details of his condition, saying only that he had undergone routine tests. This fuelled speculation that his health is much worse than officials like to admit.
In images released by his office on Thursday, Buhari looked painfully thin but was smiling as he greeted Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby in London. These were the first official pictures in three weeks.
Source from: http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/reuters/nigeria-s-ailing-president-buhari-returns-home/43019594
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