Those who operate in the public arena must understand that lying to the people who elected them is a grave matter. If the Presidency considered the illness of the First Lady a 'private' matter, why did they decide to make the celebration of her recovery a 'public' event?
That is a very good question. I remember last year when the First Lady came back to the Country after her long abscene, all her aides including one of her husband's aides, Reuben Abati, said she was on vacation and no one should ask them to explain anything. The presidency ensured that the public was kept in the dark about her condition. So why the celebration? Why the Thanksgiving? If she is to be left alone, why celebrate it openly and lavishly?
At the Airport where she was received October 17, 2012, she claimed she went for a foreign trip which was absurd as far as i was concerned. I mean foreign trip for the first lady and it was done in secret? What type of foreign trip was that? Foreign trips are always embarked upon to address specific or critical issues of other Countries or concerns with other Nations other than your own. She went for Foreign trip for six weeks and we all were left to wonder what has become of her. She reappeared later and denied that she was sick or even hospitalised. This is what she said then:
At the same time, I read in the media where they said I was in the hospital. God Almighty knows I have never been to that or any hospital. I don’t even know the hospital they mentioned. I have to explain what God has done for me( What did God do?). I do not have a terminal illness. I did not undergo cosmetic surgery, let alone a tummy tuck. “My husband loves me as I am and I am pleased with how God created me, I cannot add to it. “But at the same time, I will use this opportunity to thank my beloved husband and my children, my staff in general and all Nigerians for standing by me during my trying time." “God has given me a second chance to come and work with women of Nigeria, children and the less privileged. I have come to serve Nigeria. I have come to work with Nigerians, I am there for them. “Once more, I am pleased to be back. I love Nigerians; they are my family.”And now she admitted at the special service at the Aso Rock Chapel, stunning worshippers with her medical condition, that she passed out for days.
“I actually died, I passed out for more than a week. My intestine and tummy were opened. It was God himself in His infinite mercy that said I will return to Nigeria. God woke me up after seven days.”
“It is the Lord’s doing that I returned alive...When God says yes, nobody can say no. People are always afraid of operation (surgery). But in my own case, while my travail lasted, I was begging for it after the third operation because I was going to the theatre every day. It was God who saw me through. I did eight or nine operations within one month.
”“He knew I had not completed the assignments He gave me that was why I was sent back,” she said. “It was not an easy one. The day I came back, I said God I have nothing to say, I offer myself to you. I will be doing things that will touch the lives of the less privilege. God gave me a second chance because I reached there,”In 2012, Mrs. Jonathan suddenly became ill and was flown to Germany according to SaharaReporters.
PM News then reported that Mrs. Jonathan was being treated for uterine cancer. The presidency did not confirmed nor denied any of the reports. Mrs. Jonathan came and issued her own denial but in the November 2012 Media Chat, the President contradicted her account, telling reporters his wife had been ill and needed treatment. That was the first time after months that we had a formal declaration that our beloved first lady was sick. After that, this year January, Mrs. Jonathan was again flown out to Germany on another emergency.
In her church testimony, an apparently happy-to-be-alive Mrs. Jonathan revealed the extent of her suffering, including having “eight or nine operations” within a period of one month. To show her gratitude to God, she said, “I will be doing things that will touch the lives of the less privileged. God gave me a second chance because I reached there.”
Mrs Jonathan said while she lay dying in the German hospital, friends and associates who hoped she would not return to Nigeria alive, scrambled for her properties and sold them. You know what i love about her, she says it ooha, no niceties or tact. She just says it. Hear her some of them even sold my things off...I won’t say everything here. Narrating her ordeal at the church service, she said, “I am not Lazarus but my experience was similar to his. God woke me up after seven days. My doctors said all hope was lost. It was God himself in His infinite mercy that said I will return to Nigeria".
President Goodluck Jonathan, ministers and top government functionaries attended the event where the First Lady narrated how she went through “hell” while in hospital and said she has dedicated her life to serving the needy. She believed God gave her a second chance because she had not completed her assignment in this world. She recalled the death of Chief Stella Obasanjo, spouse of former President Olusegun Obasanjo who died while in office and how the incident had left a painful memory with her in view of her close friendship with the late former First Lady. She said:
I remember when Chief Obasanjo was the President of the country; I was close to his late wife, Stella. We worshipped together in this chapel. It was a painful moment for me that time when she died and her corpse was brought here was how my corpse would have been brought here
Speaking at the occasion President Jonathan said the recovery of his wife, from a life-threatening illness ends the mystery of death of a leader or spouse at the Presidential Villa. Jonathan said that the insinuation of the mystery of death at the seat of power was everywhere but God delivered the wife from death. He expressed gratitude to God for keeping the life of his wife, saying, If anything had happened, there would have been different stories from different people, false prophets and many other things would have followed.
We must continue to regard Aso Rock Villa properly as our nation’s centre of power and authority and not the devil’s playground. It is our spiritual duty to sanctify and declare it the city of God where only the will of God will prevail.
Several dignitaries from within and outside Nigeria attended. From what we saw, it was a Lavish Thanksgiving Party that Shuts Down Abuja. About 5000 guests, President Goodluck Jonathan; Vice President Namadi Sambo and his wife, Haj Amina; former Ghana President John Agyekum Kufour; former leaders, Gen. Yakubu Gowon and Chief Ernest Shonekan.; and Aisha Babangida, who represented her ailing father and former military president, General Ibrahim Bademasi Babangida. Also in attendance were 18 Governors, members of the Federal Executive Council; wives of state governors; the wife of Senate President; the Deputy Senate President; Deputy Speaker Emeka Ihedioha; members of the National Assembly; the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, Hajiya Maryam Abacha, Justice Alooma Mukhtar and Alhaji Bamanga Tukur and members of the diplomatic Corp. It is now revealed that Mrs Jonathan was admitted at the Horst Schmidt Klinik in Germany for an undisclosed ailment, but some reports suggested she was treated for lungs and abdominal problems.
I pray the testimony will endure. Its a wonderful testimony to survive nine surgeries in one month!. To God be the Glory. Amen! No more death in Aso Rock. We do not need that kind of jinx now. We have a lot to contend with in this Nation so death in the Presidency should not be one of them.
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