The Minister of State for Petroluem, Ibe Kachikwu on Monday disclosed that President Muhammadu Buhari has been holding meetings with top government functionaries and playing some roles despite being on medical vacation in London.

Featuring on BBC Hard Talk, Kachikwu said Buhari was still capable of issuing policies and approving projects when necessary.

According to Kachikwu, the President’s health makes little or no difference in running his administration.

“Yes, he is in London. He is undergoing hospital treatment, (but) I don’t know the details of that and I obviously wouldn’t know.

“But let me say this, he returned from his first trip in London, even though the doctors advised him to have some rest.

“He’s back to London and he has continued some levels of meetings and has been able to play some roles.

“He has a very efficient Vice-President who is sitting in for him in his absence. It really hasn’t made much of a difference.”

Responding to a question on what is wrong with Buhari, Kachikwu said, “I don’t know. But let’s face it; who in the world goes around giving to everybody what their medical statuses are?

“The doctors have got to be able to release something official and he’s working through it. It has not become a major problem.

“Well, we’ve heard rumours in Nigeria about sick presidents off and on, most of them sometimes not quite correct. Will he be able to lead Nigeria?

“I think looking at the sort of conversations I had with him when he came back, he was strong enough to do his work, struggled a bit in terms of trying to fully recover.

“Nobody plans on illness, it happens. He has an efficient number two man; the system works, that’s the whole essence of democracy.

“He’s on top of his abilities to be able to issue policies and to be able to approve what he needs to be approved.”

This is coming at a time when a British politician and former military officer, Eric Stuart Joyce insisted that Buhari is dead.

Also, Kachikwu had threatened to resign as Minister, should Nigeria continue to import fuel by 2019.