Nigeria’s Ministry of Tourism has reacted to the allegations reported widely in the media that its Minister, Ms. Lola Ade-John, 60, suffered food poison.
The ministry through its Assistant Director of Press, Emem Mariam Ofiong, refuted the report, saying the minister was not poisoned.
Media reports had publicized the minister’s health condition in which she was rushed to the Federal Medical Centre, Jabi, where she had been receiving treatment for the last four days.
However, the ministry’s Assistant Director said, “It is not true that the minister was poisoned, she only had malaria and had been treated and is now stable.”
Meanwhile, the minister is said to be currently receiving treatment at the hospital for what appears to be acute unidentified poisoning after she started manifesting some symptoms.
She is said to be on her fourth day at the hospital today, Friday.
A family source said that the passage of time might undermine their attempts to save her life, adding that she has spent four days at the facility as of Friday morning.
The minister was a career banker and tech investor. But she has currently been on a machine to aid her breathing, the family source noted.
However, the specifics as to what substance she ingested and how could not be immediately established.
Also, reports by online platform Peoples Gazette noted that the police and the Department of Security Service are yet to immediately return a request on whether or not any investigations had been opened into her matter.
People’s Gazette further noted: “Her worsening situation has further set the family against the government, with the permanent secretary of her ministry said to be in disagreement as to whether she should continue receiving treatment at a public hospital or be moved to a better-equipped private facility downtown.
“The permanent secretary, Ngozi Onwudike, was said to have insisted that the minister should not be transferred because the FMC is a public hospital and its services wouldn’t attract substantial charges to the government, a position her family rebuffed.
“But they remained with her as they could not raise funds to move her to a private hospital,” our source said.
The permanent secretary’s phone number obtained did not connect on Friday morning.
Also, FMC spokesperson did not immediately return a request seeking comments from People’s Gazette about Ms Ade-John’s condition.
The tourism minister, Ms Ade-John was recently appointed by President Bola Tinubu in August and was hyped as one of the few cabinet members appointed from outside the political beltway.
She had been based in London for years before she was asked to return to Nigeria for national service by the president.
