The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, has strongly rejected circulating social media claims that he collapsed last week. Wike described the rumors as baseless and aimed at scoring cheap political points.
The speculation started after unverified reports spread on social media, particularly on platform X, alleging that Wike had collapsed during an event in Abuja on Friday. These claims suggested that the minister was rushed to an undisclosed hospital for medical attention. However, Wike addressed the rumors during a visit to four ongoing projects in the FCT, including the International Conference Centre (ICC), where he appeared in good health and dispelled the allegations.
“I don’t want to give credence to people who are only interested in carrying rumors. First of all, I’m a human being, it’s not a ghost that will collapse. It’s a human being that will collapse if there is any issue with their health. Unfortunately, I did not collapse,” Wike stated, expressing his frustration with the spread of false information.
Despite the rumors, the minister made a public appearance just a few days later when he joined other prominent figures for a Sallah homage to President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa. His presence at the event, looking cheerful and in high spirits, further cleared up doubts about his health.
Lere Olayinka, the media aide to the minister, also weighed in on the situation, calling the reports false. Olayinka insisted that the rumors had no factual basis and were nothing more than an attempt to undermine the minister.
