The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, has reportedly been flown to the United Kingdom for medical treatment.
This development comes after the Presidency announced that the minister was receiving medical care at his Abuja residence but might seek further treatment abroad if necessary.
Multiple sources confirmed the update to Punch on Tuesday, saying, “It’s true, he has left already.” According to reports, Edun departed Abuja for Lagos on Monday night via a commercial flight before boarding a British Airways flight to London later that night.
In an earlier statement, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed that Central Bank Governor Olayemi Cardoso would lead the government’s economic team in Edun’s absence, noting that the minister was “indisposed.”
Rumours had circulated online alleging that Edun suffered a stroke and was flown abroad for treatment, but the Presidency has strongly denied those claims.
Presidential aides insisted that the finance minister, who plays a central role in President Bola Tinubu’s economic team, is recuperating and in good spirits.
Also reacting to the reports, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Communications, Sunday Dare, shared details of a recent phone conversation with Edun.
“Moments ago, I got off the phone with Nigeria’s Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, in Abuja. Over a bowl of amala, we spoke for a few minutes with assurances he was getting better. I wished him the best of health,” Dare wrote on his official 𝕏 handle on Monday.