The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, has travelled to the United Kingdom to seek medical attention, multiple sources confirmed on Tuesday.
The report, first published by Western Post, was corroborated by insiders who had earlier told The Telegraph that the minister might consider overseas treatment if his condition required it.
“It’s true, he has left already,” one source close to the situation said on Tuesday.
Mr. Edun reportedly left Abuja for Lagos on Monday night via a commercial flight before boarding a British Airways flight to London later the same evening.
Until his departure, officials within the Presidency had maintained that the 69-year-old minister was recuperating at his Abuja residence, under the care of Nigerian doctors. Over the weekend, they dismissed rumours suggesting he had suffered a stroke or was incapacitated.
One senior government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to lack of authorisation to speak publicly, confirmed that Edun had indeed fallen ill.
“Yes, he’s indisposed. He’s sick, which is a bit serious, but it’s not a stroke. As I’m talking to you, he’s in his house. He’s not been flown anywhere,” the official told The Telegraph on Sunday.
The same official noted at the time that foreign treatment could be an option, a recommendation that has now materialised.
Another aide familiar with the matter said Edun’s condition had drawn increased attention from President Bola Tinubu, but stressed that there were no discussions about replacing him.
The President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, had also confirmed on Sunday that the minister had taken ill, but was initially being treated locally.
“Yes, he’s indisposed. Wale Edun is about 69 years old. He suddenly fell ill. As we are talking, he is in Nigeria. He is recuperating. He’s around,” Onanuga said.
The Presidency has also dismissed speculation that President Tinubu was considering appointing a new finance minister.
However, Edun will miss this year’s World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) Annual Meetings in Washington, D.C., which begin on Tuesday, October 14.
Instead, Central Bank Governor Olayemi Cardoso is leading the Nigerian delegation to the global financial summit.
Appointed on August 28, 2023, Wale Edun has been a central figure in the Tinubu administration’s economic reform agenda. He has overseen key policy initiatives, including the removal of fuel subsidies, unification of Nigeria’s exchange rates, and fiscal strategies aimed at stabilising the naira and reducing inflation.
A seasoned economist and investment banker, Edun previously served as Commissioner for Finance in Lagos State under then-Governor Tinubu between 1999 and 2004, and later co-founded Denham Management Limited, an investment banking firm.
As of the time of filing this report, the Federal Ministry of Finance had not issued an official statement regarding the minister’s health or current location.
