FCT, Abuja – A post circulating on social media has made fresh speculations regarding the health status of the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
The post, which has been viewed by more than 12,000 people, claimed:
“Breaking News. Wike Suffers Heart Failure in UK. Presently Battling With His Life.”
Loveth.com.ng reports that while Nigerian hospitals battle with inadequate equipment and funding, most of the country’s politicians routinely travel
Scrutinising viral claim about Wike
The same claim about Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), appear here, here, here and here.
Wike, governor of Rivers state from 2015 to 2023, is widely considered a strong ally of President Bola Tinubu.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) member supported Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the 2023 poll. Tinubu eventually won the 2023 presidential election.
Wike was the leader of the G5, a group of then-PDP governors who were aggrieved with the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar and the PDP national leadership at the time.
After his inauguration on May 29, 2023, Tinubu appointed Wike as the minister of the FCT, Abuja, apparently as a reward for his support to the president during the election.
Lately, users put up posts on social media claiming that Wike suffered a heart failure and is in grave danger of dying. But how true is this? We probed.
Wike ‘away from duty’
We discovered that the story about Wike’s alleged severe illness was published by Nigerian blog, Sahara Reporters. The media outlet said sources privy to the minister’s health status informed it that Wike has been diagnosed with congestive heart failure and is currently under medical management in the UK. Apart from that, no such articles from any credible news outlet.
Also, we found that it has been a while since Wike appeared at public events. Wike was last seen at the flag off of the emergency rehabilitation and dualisation of the Karu Interchange, Customs Clinic Junction road, Abuja, on Wednesday, September 3. 
