Abuja—To quicken the recovery of the First Lady, Dame Patience
Jonathan, officials of Horst Schmidt Klinik, the German Hospital where
she is receiving medication, yesterday, barred visitors and some top
Nigerian officials, who went to see her from, doing so.
An official of the hospital said that some top Nigerian officials,
including diplomats were barred from seeing Mrs Jonathan to enable her
have deserved rest to quicken her recovery.
The official also confirmed that the President’s wife had earlier
been treated for food poisoning back home before being brought to Horst
Schmidt Klinik early last week after the management of the hospital had
been contacted and briefed on her deteriorating health condition.
Confirming that the First Lady was getting better, the official, who
spoke on condition of anonymity, declared that the hospital management
would ensure that she was fully fit before she would be allowed to go
back to Nigeria.
This is coming as Petroleum Resources Minister, Mrs. Dieziani
Alison-Madueke, denied reports that she had been hospitalised in a
London hospital with “a potentially serious” condition.
Meanwhile, there were indications, yesterday, that the Presidency
might be forced to admit the nature of illness afflicting Dame Jonathan.
Findings indicated that the Presidency was under pressure to own up
to the fact that the President’s wife was sick and had been admitted for
treatment in a German hospital.
A competent source said that the Presidency might be compelled to
release the ‘true position’ of Mrs. Jonathan’s health condition to put
the records straight and end the deluge of fabricated stories trailing
her health condition and whereabouts.
Presidency worried
It was learnt that the Presidency was worried over the heat generated
by the First Lady’s sickness and the poor handling of the information.
It was gathered that a cabal in the Presidency had been blamed for
the furore over the woman’s health and whereabouts, having confused her
handlers to ignore well-informed advice not to conceal her health
condition.
Close associates of the President, it was learnt, had warned against
the backlash of trying to cover up the woman’s health condition on the
grounds that it was not an offence to be sick.
But it was understood that those that convinced the President that
they could manage the information, kicked against the advice of the
associates and opted to keep it a secret and it misfired when the
information leaked before the operation could be carried out.
According to the source, the Presidency did not want to be caught in
the same web of crisis that enveloped the Villa when late President
Umaru Yar’Adua was almost dead but was being portrayed by close aides as
being very active and playing golf.
The source said: “We have made it clear to those who want to hide
everything that Dame Jonathan has not committed any offence by being
sick since she is a human being. That is why there may be a change of
attitude and Dame’s whereabouts and type of sickness made clear by her
handlers.
“We do not want a repeat of the Yar’Adua episode this time around.”
Another source close to the first family confirmed that Mrs. Jonathan
had a medical condition which necessitated her trip abroad, adding that
she had since been operated upon.
Contrary to insinuations that she went for abdominoplasty, a surgical
procedure for tightening the abdominal muscles, popularly referred to
as tummy tuck, the source hinted that Mrs. Jonathan did not go for such
an operation.
The source said that she was not a cosmetic-conscious person and
could not have contemplated such a procedure, although he did not
disclose the nature of ailment for which she was operated upon.
“Obviously, there is nothing to be worried about her condition. She
has gone through the operation and she is fine,” said the source, who
refused to say when the First Lady would return to the country.
Source
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