Breaking: Wike Breaks Silence on Why He Jetted Off to Foreign Country, Video Trends
- A report by Sahara Reporters widely shared by social media users claimed that FCT minister Nyesom Wike was diagnosed with congestive heart failure
- However, checks by Legit.ng showed that no other reputable media platform have the report
- On Thursday afternoon, September 18, Wike finally reacted to the viral rumour concerning his health status
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering public affairs and governance in Nigeria.
FCT, Abuja - Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), has said he travelled abroad to "take time out and relax."
Legit.ng reports that Wike spoke at a public event on Thursday, September 18.
Source: Facebook
Recall a media outlet recently claimed that Wike travelled to the United Kingdom (UK) for medical attention.
The online news platform said sources privy to the minister’s health status informed it that Wike had been diagnosed with congestive heart failure and is currently under medical management in Europe. Apart from that, no such articles from any credible news outlet.
Wike quashes rumours about ill-health
Wike's absence from public appearances sparked bizarre rumours online, with several netizens commenting that he might be out of Nigeria for medical reasons.
Following the anxiety over Wike's whereabouts, the minister clarified on Thursday, September 18:
"Each time I travel, I go with files, I go with C of Os, to make sure that the work is not being delayed. But this time around, I said 'whatever it is, I must travel'. And I must travel without any file. One has to be alive before you satisfy other people."
He continued:
"You know this job we are doing, there are people waiting for you. The day you drop (inferring death), they will announce another person. So, you must make sure while you are working, you also take time out and relax. I said let me travel. Before I know it, I was hearing that they said they were sick, I hear they said they have heart attack, God will continue to help them to have heart attack. It is my prayer, I will sign their condolences. Very soon, I will write a letter; 'we are sorry, we loved him, but take heart, it is God that gives, it is God that taketh.'”
Furthermore, the former Rivers state governor berated certain government critics.
He said:
“Where the person saw me, I don’t know. The hospital he saw me, I do not know, and yet, we are all happy reading it on social media. This is a country where somebody will go on social media to say Mr. President is a criminal. You say all kinds of things you want to say, ‘nothing would happen’. No matter how you see people criticise Donald Trump, have you ever seen any American citizen saying publicly that ‘our president is a criminal?’ But here, anybody can wake up in the morning and abuse president, and we are happy.”
Source: Facebook
Asking Nigerians to be grateful for having a president that ‘respects the rule of law’, Wike advised government critics to tread with caution.
He asserted:
“There are those you will meet and you won’t be lucky again.”
Wike’s trending video can be viewed in full below:
Meanwhile, Lere Olayinka, senior special assistant on public communication and social media to Wike, disclosed that his principal will be on a popular political show on Thursday night, September 18, 2025.
Wike slams fines on Ganduje, others
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Wike slammed N5 million fines on a former All Progressives Congress (APC) chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, and others for allegedly converting their properties to other uses without approval.
Wike said that illegal land conversion violates the conditions under which the right of occupancy of such properties was granted.
Source: Legit.ng
