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Immediately after her husband lost his March 28 re-election bid, the whereabouts of First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, became a source of speculations as she has been conspicuously absent from important public events. She was absent at the Good Friday and Easter Sunday services held inside the Aso Villa Chapel.
She also did not join her husband for the funeral service held in honour of his top aide, Oronto Douglas, in Bayelsa State last Saturday.
Her media assistant, Mr. Ayo Adewuyi however broke the silence on Dame Patience’s whereabouts on Thursday morning.
He said in a statement made available to journalists in Abuja, that the President’s wife is currently in Congo where she had joined her colleagues from Africa for the celebration of the 30th anniversary a Non-Governmental Organisation, Congo Assistance Foundation, established by the Congolese First Lady, Madam Antoinette Sassou-Nguesso.
The statement reads:
“First Lady, Dame Patience Faka Jonathan, is in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, joining other African First Ladies for the celebration of the 30th Anniversary of Congo Assistance Foundation, an NGO of Congolese First Lady, Madam Antoinette Sassou-Nguesso.
“The Foundation, established in 1984, has engendered social action in the areas of health, education, skills acquisition in favour of indigent people of Congo.
“Dame Patience Jonathan runs similar organisation in Nigeria, the A.Aruera Reachout Foundation, which also focuses on the upliftment of women and children, the needy and imprisoned.
“The First Ladies of Benin Republic, Senegal, Mali, Tchad, Niger and Guinea Conakry are also in Brazzaville for the grand finale of the week-long programmes, during which a National Centre for Sickle Cell disease was inaugurated.
“Dame Patience Jonathan was received on arrival by Nigeria’s Ambassador to Congo Brazzaville, Princess Onipede, in company with top Congolese officials.”