The Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, has said the President's sickness in 2017 took eight months from his time in office.

Adesina disclosed this on Monday while speaking on Channels Television's Politics Today.

Adesina who was highlighting the accomplishments and legacy of the Buhari government during the programme, said the President spent eight months on treatment in the United Kingdom in 2017.

"When he fell sick in January 2017, he came back in March, went again in April and didn't come back till August 19.

"About all, eight months. That sickness took eight months of his time in the office. Of course, nobody would like that but what we are glad about is that he came whole, sound and better than he went."

He, however, said despite this setback, the President would be leaving the country far better than he met it.

Adesina recalled that 17 local government areas were in the hands of terrorists when Buhari took over in 2015, adding that the government had reclaimed those territories.

In terms of economy, he argued that Nigeria now has a diversified economy following the efforts of the Buhari administration, stressing that "oil now contributes less than 10% to Nigeria's GDP."

The presidential spokesman also faulted the criticism of Buhari by the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto, Matthew Kukah, over the sales of the presidential fleet.

Adesina argued that Buhari never promised to sell off the presidential fleet, saying: "Those things don't do credit to Father Kukah's intellectual posture. He is somebody that we had always admired for his intellectual bent but his opinions have been coloured by politics.

"He talked about selling the presidential fleet. Was that ever promised? In 2015, there were promises made that even the candidate did not know about."

He said if the provisions of Nigeria want the president to travel in commercial flights, Buhari would gladly do so.