Why I Boycotted Ramadan Fast – Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday revealed how he had to boycott Ramadan fast last year due to health concerns.

Buhari, while noting the health and other benefits of fasting, said he couldn’t participate in the annual spiritual exercise in 2017 owing to his prolonged ill health that required him to stay for over 100 days in London, the United Kingdom, for medical consultations.

The president said this while receiving a delegation led by the Minister of the FCT, Mohammed Bello, who paid a courtesy call on him at the Presidential Villa today.

He equally revealed that he rejected every counsel to not participate in this year’s Ramadan fast on health grounds.

“I am very grateful to the ministers and church leadership that came to say happy Eid-Filtri to those of us that have been fasting,” Buhari said to the delegation.

“A lot of people asked me if on health grounds I can default, I refused because I know the value in fasting. I cannot miss it once I can do it.

“Last year, I didn’t because I was on health vacation. But this year, I have done it and I thank God because it has helped me to be much more healthier, to give me the time that I need to attend to national issues.

“Please in your constituencies, emphasise what I said about 30 years ago. We don’t have another country except Nigeria.

“We may as well remain here and salvage it together, there is nothing else we can do.

“Even those that had gone out are now trying to come back because they are not wanted out there.

“I wished that all the resources they had then, they had deployed it here. It would have been much better.

“So, thank you very much and please try to persuade your constituencies to work much harder away from individualism and sectionalism.”