Where is our first Lady?

The first caption which caught our attention was the headline news of Nigeria’s First Lady being hospitalized in Germany, and since then it has been one form of story or another ranging from the fact that her illness started in Dubai to the fact that the First Lady was misdiagnosed by Presidential physicians. Then we woke up another time to the news that she had fibroids removed. I believe to save face about the state of things, the news came that the First Lady was to accompany President Jonathan to United Nations General Assembly though this was afterwards followed by not too good news that our ailing First Lady can no longer make it for the United National General Assembly. Now what seems like a bomb shell is news that our First Lady is battling with Parkinson disease.

It is a sad reality that even from the top; things seem to be falling apart whilst the centre has given up hope of being able to hold. For every piece of news we hear, somehow a counter piece of information comes out without any real explanation of the situation of things. Everything seems to be done shoddily with transparency not a priority.

What if the First Lady was ill? Any big deal? What has actually made this issue a big deal is the fact that they are trying to keep it a top secret whilst some other people are making it an open secret for them....This is making the whole issue a theatre of events which has automatically drawn the attention of citizens who ordinarily would not have given a hoot.

The tradition of secrecy ends up arousing curiosity naturally and I would have expected that past issues taught us the required lessons forgetting that this is a country where we do things the same way over and again whilst expecting a different result. What stops us from being privy to what happens to the First Lady since we supposedly voted in the President courtesy of whom the honour of ‘First Lady’ was conferred on her?

We expect that being the First Lady and doubling as a permanent secretary in Bayelsa State, we deserve to know what has become of those vacant seats in the past few weeks she has been away from her duties. Are procedures being followed as regards taking over duties from her in absentia? This and many more begging questions require answers to instil the confidence that we are truly marching forward as they love to tell us.

Hopefully, very soon we will get to know  the truth about what exactly is happening to our First lady and why she can’t be available to carry out her duties, but for now we will keep feeding on the news and counter-news we hear and read about since that is what they have indirectly made room for.

I wish our First Lady Patience Dame Jonathan the soonest recovery despite the controversies surrounding her illness which of course leaves so much to be imagined.

.