Nigeria’s ailing President Muhammadu Buhari who has been
away in London for almost three months has become the subject of a sports
betting game in his homeland.
A popular sports gaming site, NaijaBet.com, is asking those
interested to stake their money on when Buhari who left Nigeria on May 7 on his
latest medical trip to the British capital, would return.
The company usually focusses on English Premiership, Champions
League and other sporting events, but recently launched the ‘Buhari to Return’
game.
The 74-year-old Buhari first sought treatment in London in
June last year for what presidency officials said was a persistent inner ear
infection, returning in six months for check-ups that were later said to be “a
long period of treatment”.
Buhari himself admitted on his return to Abuja in March
that he had not been that ill before.
Despite Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s acting on his
behalf, Buhari’s protracted absence has sparked intense public debate in
Nigeria.
Last month, both members of the ruling party and the
opposition went to see him in London and even took pictures with him in London
to douse public anxiety.
The health of Nigerian leaders has often been a contentious
issue.
Buhari, a former military ruler in the 1980s, was dogged by
speculation about his health even before the election win in 2015 that brought
him to power.
During that campaign, the then-ruling party claimed he was
seriously ill with prostate cancer and even put out advertisements insinuating
he would die in office.
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