The Presidency on Monday dismissed as “fake” the reports that President Muhammadu Buhari was planning to travel to the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, and Austria.
Presidential spokesperson, Femi Adesina, in a statement urged Nigerians to be discriminatory about what they accepted as credible information.
Adesina, who advised Nigerians to restrain themselves from sharing what they had not authenticated as genuine, said that was how “the malevolent minds” could be beaten at their “pernicious games”.
He said members of the First Family, ministers, top government officials, the military, and other key institutions, were also objects of what he called “orchestrated falsehood” coming from “enemies of national cohesion”.
“Purveyors of fake and concocted information are currently on overdrive, and Nigerians are urged to be careful what they consume as news, and also share with others, particularly from the social media.
“An unfounded information has been making the rounds that President Buhari is billed to travel to the United Kingdom for 20 days, and from there proceed to Saudi Arabia, and then Austria. Fake. It is nothing but falsehood from mischievous minds,” the statement read.
Even though there’s no evidence to confirm that President Buhari is travelling this time around, his frequent trips abroad have always been a subject of discussion by critics.
The President has travelled to the UK, where he receives medical attention and spends his holiday, more than any other country in the world.
Analysts believe that the President should spend more time at home to tackle internal challenges instead of embarking on frequent foreign trips.