Perturbed by the continued absence of the First Lady, Dame
Patience Jonathan, from the country as a result of ill-heath, the Presidency
has resorted to prayers to quicken her recovery and return to the country.
Dame Jonathan, a
serving Permanent Secretary in Bayelsa, her home state, was reportedly flown to
a German specialist hospital two weeks ago for an undisclosed medical
treatment.
But the Presidency
has kept mum over her health condition and whereabouts.
When the media
broke the sudden disappearance of Mrs. Jonathan from the country, the
Presidency was forced to admit that ‘she went to take a rest’ but neither
disclosed the country where she was observing the rest nor when she was
expected back at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa.
While a section of the media speculated that she went for
an operation, others claimed she was admitted for food poisoning treatment.
But Sunday Vanguard
learnt yesterday that the condition of Dame Jonathan, who was reported to be
recuperating and expected back in the country since last week, was still
causing some concerns to her husband, President Goodluck Jonathan, and her
handlers.
It was gathered
that the Presidency had asked close associates and friends of the First Lady to
continue to render unceasing intercessory prayers for the woman to recover from
her ailment.
A source close to
the Presidency confirmed that the daily morning devotion, which Jonathan and
her wife usually attend at the Villa, is being used to offer special prayers
for the First Lady.
The source said,
“The President, as you know, is a very devoted person who has been praying for
the wife and those of us who are close to them do not stop to pray for her as
well.
“Yesterday
(Friday), a special prayer session was conducted for her and we know that God
Almighty has already healed her of whatever is afflicting her and that she will
soon join us as she used to do every morning.”
There were
speculations, last night, that the woman would soon be back in the country but
none of the presidential spokespersons was willing to talk on the issue.
Calls put to Dr.
Reuben Abati, the Presidential Media Adviser and Dr. Doyin Okupe, the Special
Adviser on Public Affairs, was not responded to.
While an online
news portal has maintained that she underwent a surgery in Germany, others
speculate that she had food poisoning and had been admitted in Italy.
Despite the claims
and counter-claims over Dame Jonathan’s condition, her spokesman, Mr. Ayo
Osinlu, has insisted that the President’s wife traveled out of the country to
take a “moment’s rest.”
ACN to the
Presidency: ‘Speak out on First Lady’s health’
Meanwhile, the
Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has challenged the Federal Government to tell
Nigerians the truth about the illness of the First Lady, saying the people
deserved to know.
The National
Publicity Secretary of the ACN, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, threw the challenge
yesterday in Ilorin, Kwara State at a welcome reception for former members of
the PDP, ACPN and Accord Party who defected to the ACN.
He posited that
Nigerians deserved to know the exact situation of the First Lady’s health
status.
The ruling PDP,
Mohammed insisted, has never been truthful to Nigerians on any national issue
,citing the “many lies the PDP government churned out to Nigerians on the
illness of the late President Umaru Yar’Adua”.
The ACN spokesman,
who also pointed out that the PDP Federal Government government has no solution
to the nation’s problems, accused the government of lacking the capability to
deliver dividends of democracy to Nigerians.
Mohammed said the
PDP-led government’s ineptitude has resulted in the alarming rate of youth
unemployment, epileptic power supply and general infrastructural decay. Via Vanguard
News
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