Nigeria's First Lady,
Patience Jonathan, is sick again and is shuttling between Spain and Germany in
search of treatment. A source also expressed that the First Lady was also
contemplating receiving medical treatment from a US hospital.
Mrs. Jonathan’s renewed
health woes have accounted for her absence from several official events in
Abuja and her home state of Bayelsa State over the last few days. A few days
ago, Mrs. Jonathan made a quiet exit from Abuja en route to France where she
was to allegedly receive some unspecified award. However, a source within the
Presidency also confirmed that Mrs. Jonathan’s trip to France was a ploy to
enable her to shop for new doctors in Europe for her deteriorating health.
A source disclosed that she
left France for Spain. The same source disclosed that the First Lady was
considering being moved to a US hospital today. However, a source in the US who
is close to the First Family said that he has “not heard from the first lady
regarding her trip to the US.”
Ayo Osinlu, a spokesman of
the First Lady, said that Mrs. Jonathan was in Europe in order to care for an
ailing elderly woman who helped raise the First Lady. He failed to disclose the
specific European nation where Mrs. Jonathan’s foster mother is hospitalized.
During Mrs. Jonathan’s first
extended medical sojourn in Germany, Mr. Osinlu had misled reporters by
declaring that the First Lady was merely vacationing abroad after what he
described as a series of grueling official functions, including the hosting of a
conference of African First Ladies.
Mrs. Jonathan was noticeably
absent from a Friday church service organized at the presidential villa
yesterday as part of Easter celebrations. She was also missing at another key
event where her Africa First Ladies Peace Mission donated relief material to
the war-torn country of Mali. An aide of the First Lady reported that a
minister, Ms. Jumoke Akinjide, represented Mrs. Jonathan at the event where
relief material was donated to Mali.
During the church service at
the Presidential Villa, President Jonathan was flanked by his elderly mother,
Eunice Jonathan, as well as Petroleum Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke and Ndudi
Elumelu, a member of the House of Representatives indicted for corruption in
power sector projects. Mrs. Alison-Madueke, who has been romantically linked to
Mr. Jonathan, wore a large diamond ring at the church service.
One of the last times Mrs.
Jonathan was seen in public was on her return from an official visit to Cote
d’Ivoire on March 2, 2013. She later made a brief visit to Lagos where she
attended a dinner organized for Nollywood stars. Afterwards, she was sighted in
Paris where she received the “Global Women Leader for Peace Award 2013.” Since
receiving the award on March 17, the First Lady has not been seen in any
official photos released from the Presidency.
Her trip to Paris coincided
with her husband’s official visit to Equatorial Guinea. Mr. Jonathan was
accompanied on that official visit by two female ministers, Stella Oduah of
Aviation and Ms. Diezani of Petroleum.
A source in Abuja said Mrs.
Jonathan had not been seen in public for close to a week and half, including
during a breakfast meeting with the members of the House of Representatives led
by Leo Ogor on March 21, 2013.
A few weeks ago, Mrs.
Jonathan was at the center of an obscene event where she loquaciously
celebrated her ostensible “resurrection from the dead” after dying for more
than a week. Some 5,000 guests attended the event at the villa which was
televised live, with Pastor Oritsejafor presiding. At the event, Mrs. Jonathan
claimed to have undergone several surgeries during her medical sojourn in
Germany. The extended medical visit, which was first reported by
Saharareporters, cost Nigeria close to 5 million Euros in medical expenses.
Mrs. Jonathan’s aides had initially passed off her medical trip as a vacation.
On her return from Germany, Mrs. Jonathan had also denied ever going for
medical treatment.
Source: Sahara Reporters
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