Nigeria’s Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wale Edun, has reportedly travelled to the United Kingdom for medical treatment, according to multiple sources familiar with the situation on Tuesday morning.
The development, initially reported by Western Post, was later confirmed by a source who had previously informed The Punch that the minister might consider seeking medical care abroad if advised by his doctors. The same source confirmed on Tuesday that the decision had now been made, saying, “It’s true, he has left already.”
Edun was said to have left Abuja for Lagos on Monday night aboard a commercial flight before connecting to a British Airways flight to London later that evening.
Until his departure, officials in the Presidency maintained that the finance minister was recuperating at his Abuja residence under the supervision of local medical professionals. They had earlier clarified that while Edun had recently fallen ill, rumours suggesting that he had suffered a stroke or was incapacitated were untrue.
A senior government official, who requested anonymity because he was not authorised to speak publicly, told The Punch on Sunday that Edun’s condition was being closely monitored. “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 source said at the time. The official added that medical experts might recommend treatment abroad if necessary, a move that has now been confirmed.
Another aide close to the situation disclosed that the minister’s health challenges had attracted the President’s attention but emphasised that “there are no plans to replace him.”
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, also acknowledged that the minister had fallen ill but was initially receiving medical care in Nigeria. “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 had said on Sunday.
Earlier, the Presidency dismissed speculations that President Bola Tinubu was planning to appoint a replacement for the finance minister. However, it confirmed that Edun would not be attending the 2025 World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) Annual Meetings in Washington, D.C.
According to a statement issued by Onanuga, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Olayemi Cardoso, will instead lead Nigeria’s delegation to the global financial meetings, which commence today, Tuesday, October 14.
Appointed on August 28, 2023, Edun has played a pivotal role in driving the Tinubu administration’s economic reform agenda. His leadership has been central to policies such as the removal of fuel subsidies, the unification of exchange rates, and fiscal strategies designed to stabilise the naira and reduce inflationary pressures.
Before joining the federal cabinet, Edun served as Lagos State Commissioner for Finance between 1999 and 2004 under Tinubu’s administration and later co-founded the investment banking firm, Denham Management Limited.
As of the time of filing this report, the Federal Ministry of Finance had not released an official statement regarding the minister’s current medical condition or his stay abroad.
