Confusion has continued to trail the health status of Nigeria’s Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, following conflicting reports on whether he has travelled abroad for medical treatment.
An earlier report by Sahara Reporters had exclusively claimed that the minister left Nigeria for the United Kingdom to seek medical care. However, sources close to the Presidency initially denied the report, insisting that Edun was receiving treatment at his Abuja residence under the supervision of Nigerian doctors.
But The PUNCH, in a follow-up story on Tuesday, corroborated Sahara Reporters’ claim, citing multiple sources who confirmed that the 69-year-old minister indeed departed the country for London on Monday night. According to the paper, Edun first travelled from Abuja to Lagos aboard a commercial flight before boarding a British Airways flight to the UK later that evening.
Earlier on Sunday, presidential aides had dismissed rumours that the minister suffered a stroke or was incapacitated, maintaining that he was only “indisposed.” A senior government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told The PUNCH that the Presidency was monitoring his condition closely but that there were “no plans to replace him.”
“Yes, he’s unwell, which is a bit serious, but it’s not a stroke. As I’m talking to you, he’s at home. He’s not been flown anywhere,” the source had said before the new reports surfaced.
Similarly, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, confirmed that Edun was “indisposed” and recuperating in Nigeria, but did not provide further updates after reports of his departure emerged.
ALSO READ:From grief to chaos: BBNaija’s Phyna allegedly beaten in shocking Abuja hotel fight
The development comes just as the finance minister was expected to lead Nigeria’s delegation to the 2025 World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) Annual Meetings in Washington, D.C. The Central Bank Governor, Mr. Olayemi Cardoso, is now leading the country’s team to the global summit.
Appointed in August 2023, Wale Edun has been a key figure in President Bola Tinubu’s economic reform agenda, overseeing the removal of petrol subsidies, foreign exchange unification, and fiscal policies aimed at stabilising the naira and reducing inflation.
As of the time of filing this report, the Ministry of Finance has yet to issue an official statement confirming the minister’s location or current medical condition, leaving Nigerians with mixed reports and mounting speculation about his health status.