Buhari tells National Assembly: “I have resumed”

Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki; and his counterpart in the House of Representatives, Speaker Yakubu Dogara have received letters for them and their 467 other colleagues informing of the resumption to duty of the country’s chief executive.
But President Muhammadu Buhari will not hit the ground running, according to one of his media aides, Mallam Garba Shehu, who told a television station that it will be a slow and steady return to duty.
Dogara’s office confirmed receipt of Buhari’s letter delivered by one of his staff.
Said Garba Shehu:  “Let me first of all caution that he (Buhari) is not going to start in a dramatic way. He has been away from the country for nearly two months, so he needs to get into the temperature of the place.
“For instance, yesterday (Saturday), he went through the newspapers page by page, and he read everything that interested him.
“So he needs to get back to that place. The thing is that he’s basically human like all of us. He is coming out of an ailment and like he himself had said, he needs to start gradually.
“Don’t expect the president to be given neck-breaking schedules or punishing schedules like from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., or sometimes to 1a.m. to 2 a.m.”
Dogara’s office in a statement confirmed receipt of Buhari’s letter
Speaking shortly after the letter was handed over to him by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly matters (House of  Reps) Hon. Suleiman Abdurhaman Kawu Sumaila, Dogara said he will read the letter to his colleagues in plenary on Tuesday since the communication was meant for them.
“Tomorrow (Tuesday) I will read this to my colleagues on the floor of the House and thereafter make comments from there,” he said.
“However, permit me to thank you for working hard to ensure that there is hamonious working relationship between the Executive and the National Assembly.”
“In your own case I can say it was an appointment that we can truly say amounted to putting a round peg in a round hole or a square peg in a square hole.”
“So no wonder we have seen to some extent some form of understanding between the National Assembly   and the presidency.”
“We promise that we will cooperate more than we fight. Like I said before we will always fight and that has been the practice in all climes and ours cannot be an exception  but we will cooperate more in the interest of our people rather than fight.”
While presenting the letter to the Speaker, Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly matters (House of  Reps) Hon. Suleiman Abdurhaman Kawu Sumaila commended him for supporting the president and the Executive arm of government.
An insight into the contents was given by presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, who quoted a part of the letter as stating: “I have resumed my functions as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria with effect from Monday, March 13, 2017, after my vacation.”