Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, has raised fresh concerns over the health of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying the Nigerian leader should prioritise his wellbeing.
Lawal made the remarks in an interview shared on Sunday, July 26, 2026, in which he questioned the President’s frequent trips to France and suggested that Tinubu’s health remains an issue of public concern.
“President Tinubu is not a healthy man,” Lawal said, adding that Nigerians were not being deceived by the President’s trips to France.
According to the former SGF, Tinubu has spent four years in office and should now give greater attention to his health.
Lawal makes claims about Tinubu’s lifestyle
Lawal went beyond his comments about the President’s health, making claims about Tinubu’s eating habits and personal lifestyle.
He said Tinubu was not particularly materialistic and alleged that the President often starts his day with simple meals such as banana and groundnuts, or ogi and moi-moi.
Lawal also made an allegation about Tinubu’s smoking habits, saying the President had a strong preference for Silk cigarettes, while acknowledging that he did not know whether Tinubu had stopped smoking.
The claims about Tinubu’s personal habits and health could not independently be established from the interview.
Political controversy surrounds Lawal’s comments
Lawal’s latest remarks come against the backdrop of his increasingly outspoken criticism of the political establishment and his changing position ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
In June, Lawal resigned from the African Democratic Congress (ADC), alleging that the party’s presidential primary had been manipulated in favour of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar. The ADC rejected the allegations.
Interestingly, Lawal had previously made a very different assessment of Tinubu’s political prospects.
In June, he said Tinubu would be difficult to defeat in 2027 if election rigging were the determining factor, alleging that the President would “out-rig everybody.”
Lawal also previously stated that, despite his criticism of Tinubu, he considered the President preferable to Atiku Abubakar as a potential president.
His latest comments therefore add another layer to his evolving public assessment of the President and the political landscape ahead of 2027.
What is established — and what remains an allegation?
Lawal is a former SGF and a prominent political figure, but his assertions about Tinubu’s current state of health, dietary habits and smoking status should not be treated as medical facts without independent evidence.
The Presidency has not, in the reports reviewed, issued a response to Lawal’s latest comments.
The controversy also raises a broader question about the health of political leaders: while Nigerians have a legitimate interest in knowing whether a sitting president is medically capable of performing the duties of office, claims about an individual’s health should ideally be supported by credible medical information rather than political speculation.
For now, Lawal’s comments remain allegations and political commentary rather than an independently verified medical assessment of President Tinubu.
