Nigeria’s First Lady,
Patience Jonathan, is
battling an onset of
Parkinson’s disease that
has complicated her
recovery from a surgical
procedure in Germany,
several reliable sources
have disclosed to
SaharaReporters.
SaharaReporters broke the
news that Mrs. Jonathan
was flown to a hospital in
Wiesbaden, Germany close
to a month ago to
undergo emergency
treatment after a botched
procedure in Dubai.
In interviews with three sources
familiar with Mrs. Jonathan’s
health status, SaharaReporters
learnt that the Nigerian
president’s wife is beset by
Parkinson’s disease, a
degenerative syndrome. The
disease is a progressive disorder
of the nervous system. A
medical source described it as
“a fairly common disorder that
occasions degeneration of the
nervous system.” The source
added that the disease leads to
“progressive impairment and
disorder of movement.” An
online medical site notes that
Parkinson’s “is characterized by
progressive loss of muscle
control, which leads to
trembling of the limbs and head
while at rest, stiffness, slowness,
and impaired balance. As
symptoms worsen, it may
become difficult to walk, talk,
and complete simple tasks.”
The bombshell revelation about
the First Lady’s medical woes
was first made by a source
familiar with Mrs. Jonathan’s
previous secret treatments in
Spain and Italy. The source
disclosed that Mrs. Jonathan had
battled Parkinson’s for some
years now. In addition, doctors
had advised her to “do
something urgent about her
morbid body mass index (BMI),”
said the source. She added that
Mrs. Jonathan had indeed
considered undergoing the kind
of tummy tuck procedure that
former Governor Diepreye
Alamieyeseigha once had.
Two other sources close to the
Jonathans confirmed that the
First Lady has been dogged by
Parkinson’s. One said the
disease was largely responsible
for her clumsiness, drawling
speech and slow movement at
public events. He added that
Mrs. Jonathan has been
suffering serious trembling in
the left hand. “That’s why she
always uses her right to hold the
microphone when speaking at
public events,” the source
revealed. Mrs. Jonathan also
reportedly is affected by stiffness
of the limbs and trunk which
affects her movement.
A news staffer at the Nigerian
Television Authority (NTA) told
SaharaReporters that Mrs.
Jonathan’s aides warned
reporters covering her never to
film her beyond her waist. “Her
senior personal assistant told
the crew covering her long ago:
‘Don’t ever film Madam’s waist.
Show her face only.’ That’s been
the code at NTA.”
Two of our sources stated that
Mrs. Jonathan had made efforts
to slow the disease that had
started to ravage her. “She has
been visiting a health farm in
Italy on a regular basis since
2010,” one source revealed. “To
alleviate her pain, she has been
taking her medication
religiously.”
A friend of Mrs. Jonathan’s said
that the First Lady’s health
maladies include anxiety,
occasional memory loss and
disorientation. In addition, her
blood pressure often rises to
dangerous levels, forcing her to
take a cocktail of anti-
hypertensive drugs.
Also, our sources said that some
officials attached to the First
Lady’s office described her as
constantly depressed, prone to
snapping at people at the
slightest provocation. “The First
Lady can just get angry at the
slightest provocation and rain
abuses at anybody in sight,” he
said.
As happened during the health
crisis of the late President
Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, the
Nigerian Presidency’s reaction to
Mrs. Jonathan’s health condition
is to be mum. When
SaharaReporters contacted a
senior aide of President
Jonathan on the matter of the
First Lady’s illness, he sharply
said, “I’m not saying anything.
And please don’t mention that
you spoke to me.”
SaharaReporters learnt that
officials of the Presidency are
under a virtual oath of secrecy
on the issue of Mrs. Jonathan’s
health crisis.
Culled from Sahara Reporters
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