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. 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 an interviews with three sources
familiar with Mrs. Jonathan’s health status, it was 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.
Source: SaharaReporters
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