Nigeria's Buhari returns home after medical leave

March 10 (UPI) -- Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari returned home Friday after seven weeks of medical leave in Britain.

Buhari, 74, left Vice president Yemi Osinbajo in charge while dealing with unspecified health issues, prompting some in Nigeria to question whether Buhari is fit to serve as president, the BBC reported Friday. Arriving from London amid tight security at an air force base at Kaduna International Airport, he said only that he had never been "so sick" and that he is "feeling much better now." At the end of a rambling, nine-minute speech, he said he returned to Nigeria at the start of a weekend "so that the vice president will continue, and I will continue to rest."

A presidential adviser later clarified Buhari's statement, indicating he will formally return to power on Monday.

Buhari's leave in Britain was extended twice on doctor's recommendations. His medical condition has been a source of speculation, with little information forthcoming from the president's office, but prior to leaving London he was seen meeting with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby at the world Anglican congregation.

As acting president for seven weeks, Osinbajo displayed energy and a leadership style strikingly different from that of Buhari, the BBC commented. The country is currently undergoing an economic recession, largely because of the fall in the price of its chief export, oil.