Finance Minister Edun spotted at Abuja meeting after deteriorating health scare

The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, has returned to Nigeria after days of speculation about his health and whereabouts as he was spotted at a meeting in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja on Sunday.

 

This followed several reports during the past week suggesting that he had travelled to the United Kingdom for medical reasons.

 

In a video that circulated on social media on Sunday, the minister was sighted at Fraser Suites, Abuja, where he reportedly held a closed-door meeting with a Qatari delegation, alongside the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole.

 

Edun, who had been reported to be “indisposed” and possibly out of the country, was sighted walking into the meeting venue on Sunday afternoon.

 

Last week, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, confirmed that the minister had been “indisposed,” which led to the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Olayemi Cardoso, leading Nigeria’s delegation to the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) annual meetings held in Washington, D.C., United States of America.

 

While abroad, the minister was spotted at an Art exhibition in London, where he visited the O’DA Art Gallery booth and addressed guests.

 

Onanuga later shared a video of the appearance on his official X handle, clarifying that Edun was in the United Kingdom for an officially approved period of rest.

 

He wrote: “Finance Minister Wale Edun visits an art exhibition in the UK.

 

“He is in the country for an officially sanctioned few days of rest from the rigours of managing the Nigerian economy.”

 

With his return to the country, Edun is expected to resume his official duties amid ongoing efforts to stabilise the Nigerian economy.

 

Appointed on August 28, 2023, Edun has been a key figure in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s economic reform team, overseeing fiscal policy, foreign investment drives, and efforts to stabilise the naira.

 

He previously served as Lagos State Commissioner for Finance between 1999 and 2004 when Tinubu was the state governor.