Anxiety over Health Minister’s absence at major events

There is palpable anxiety at the Federal Ministry of Health over the absence of the Health Minister, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, at major events in the past two days.

The tension is premised on the fact that the minister, had since the past few days been giving journalists updates on the Covid-19 situation in the country, but could not do so in the past two days.

The Minister gave update on the Covid-19 situation on Monday, he was supposed to give another update on Tuesday but it was cancelled because of his absence.

The tension heightened on Wednesday when items donated by a Chinese billionaire, Jack Ma arrived Nigeria and were received by the Health Ministry on behalf of the federal government.

To the surprise of many, including staff of the ministry, Dr. Ehanire was conspicuously absent.

The items were, instead, received by the Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Health, Abdullahi Mashi, on behalf of the federal government.

Also, at an event organized by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to train journalists on the proper reportage of the Covid-19, the health minister was also represented.

Sources at the Federal Ministry Health disclosed that since the update the Minister gave journalists on Monday, that was the last day he was sighted at the Ministry.

When asked by our correspondent whether the Minister is under self-isolation, the source said: “We cannot predict exactly where the minister is.

“It is possible that because he has been attending several meetings with other top government functionaries who are said to be down with Covid-19, he has decided to go on self-isolation in order to prevent himself from spreading the disease in case he has contracted it.

“We are watching closely how this week will be. If we did not see him in the office throughout this week, it definitely means, he has gone on self-isolation.”

It would be recalled that some top government functionaries in Nigeria are already down with the Covid-19 disease and have since been taken for treatment at the appropriate centres.