In the last three weeks , the name of the Ogun State First
Lady , Mrs Olufunsho Amosun, went viral on social media
alleging that the fair complexioned woman has been
arrested in London while attempting to smuggle a huge sum
of foreign currency into the United Kingdom. In fact, the
allegation was so widespread that many people in the state
began to believe it. To worsen the situation, the First Lady
was incommunicado in the heat of the rumour.
Vanguard’s findings revealed that, indeed the woman
travelled out of the country at the instance of Nigeria’s
first lady, Mrs Aisha Buhari on a trip simply described as
national assignment. In fact, the purveyor of the
allegation initially threatened to ‘expose’ the wife of the
state Governor if she fails to either address the press or
show her face at a public function to debunk the claim that
she was in jail in a foreign land.
At the first round, the purveyors gave her 24 hours within
which she should have come out and explained her role in
the allegation. After the ultimatum, there was no denial,
she was given another 48 hours, failure which they
threatened that they would make public how she was
arrested.
Brain behindallegation
After the expiration of the 48 hours, the brain behind
the allegation made good their threats and unleashed their
‘expose’. According to them, Amosun’s wife was arrested in
London by interpol as she was trying to stash $300,000 in a
foreign bank . They confidently claimed that her
husband,the governor of the state, Senator Ibikunle
Amosun had been up and down to save his wife who
according to them was trapped.
This allegation generated a lot of reactions from both pro
and anti-Amosun public . Those for Amosun defended the
first family while the opposition insisted that the family
was capable of that criminal act. The vituperation
continued on the social media while the State
correspondents were sceptical about filing the report due
to the fear of libel. The pin-dropped silence approach
adopted by governor Amosun worsened the situation as his
posture made many to believe the allegation was not too far
from the truth.
The governor’s failure to appoint media aides who would
have redeemed the image of the first family in the state
added salt to the injury. But, few days after the
allegation had gone viral, wife of the State Governor
cleared the air on the rumour of her purported arrest and
detention in London over alleged laundering of about
$300,000.(US).
Mrs. Amosun said it was not true that she was arrested or
detained in London or any other part of the world for the
alleged money laundering offence or any other crime for
that matter. The governor’s wife stated that the rumour of
her purported arrest making the rounds on social media in
recent times was a concoction and a figment of the
imagination of mischief makers and the authors of such
rumour.
The State’s First Lady who made her first appearance in
public since the rumour of her purported arrest for alleged
money laundering in London went viral on the social media,
debunked the claim while answering questions from
newsmen in Abeokuta, the state capital, shortly after
distributing free milk and other items to hundreds of
expectant and lactating mothers at the State Hospital in
the Ijaiye area on behalf of the wife of the President,
Hajia Aisha Buhari who was the donor.
Moneylaundering
Mrs. Amosun stressed that she had never been involved in
money laundering or any other crime and would never
contemplate anything like that, adding that her husband,
Governor Ibikunle Amosun remained a man of integrity who
would not condone such things. The governor’s wife said;
“Well, I thank you for that and I’m glad that you called it
a rumour. I never did anything of that nature. But as you
can see me to the glory of God, it’s not my portion; it shall
never be my portion and I believe that you know your
Governor, His Excellency, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, I’m sure
you know he’ll never be involved in anything that is
associated with money laundering or anything negative like
that.
So, as you said, it’s a rumour and it shall remain so. It
didn’t happen, it hasn’t happened and it shall not
happen.” However, the critics had refused to contradict the
wife of the State Governor over the claim putting an end to
the allegation. In what could be described as belated
response to the weighty allegation, the Secretary to the
State Government, SSG, Taiwo Adeoluwa, reacted to the
spate of criticisms against the state government in the
mainstream and social media.
According to Adeoluwa, the cynical opposition have now
chosen this period to orchestrate a campaign of calumny
not only against the governor but his family as well.
Oppositionelements
“The most unconscionable of the lies being peddled by these
opposition elements is that the wife of the Governor was
arrested in London. Nothing could be further from the
truth. Mrs Olufunso Amosun is a paragon of decency and
an example of all that is noble. These false allegations are
totally condemnable. The quest for power need not descend
to this level of infamy.
“While noting that government would not be deterred by the
name-calling and malicious lies, the state scribe called on
the public to be weary of mischief makers and failed
politicians now in the borrowed regalia of public defenders
and their media hacks.
“Adeoluwa said the state government would remain focused
on its mission to rebuild Ogun and make its residents secure.
Meanwhile, Amosun’s wife while speaking during the
distribution of the milk supplement donated by the wife of
the President, Mrs. Amosun assured that Hajia Buhari
remained committed to the breastfeeding of babies by
nursing mothers.
According to her, “That can only come from a woman of
passion and empathy who is in the person of the wife of our
President, Hajia Aisha Muhammadu Buhari who has
decided to send milk which is called Frisomum which is
actually like a nutritional milk for mothers because she
likes breastfeeding babies, so she wouldn’t like to support a
programme that would negate mothers breastfeeding their
babies.
But this milk is actually of nutritional value to expectant
mothers and nursing mothers and she has sent this milk to
all the wives of the governors across the Federation and
asked the wives of the governors to actually deliver them to
expectant mothers in state hospitals and this is what I’ve
come to do here today. I feel that is a worthwhile and
passionate programme.” She assured that the mission to
rebuild the programme of her husband’s administration
would continue in his second term with a renewed vigour.
Renewedvigour
Amosun advised expectant and lactating mothers to eat a
balanced diet and take care of their bodies to stay healthy
during and after pregnancy, adding that this would aid
development of their babies. Mrs Amosun said this during
the second phase of the distribution of the Friscomum Gold
nutritional supplement donated by the wife of the
President of Nigeria, Hajia Aisha Muhammadu Buhari to
expectant and lactating mothers at the State Hospital,
Ijebu-ode.
At the occasion, Amosun’s wife advised the pregnant women
to take good care of themselves during pregnancy and be
committed to the use of the medications prescribed by their
doctors. She noted that the donation was in line with the
agenda of the All Progressive Congress to uplift the lives of
women, saying the supplement shows that ‘Hajia Buhari,
and the President are committed to the healthcare of
women to reduce maternal and infant mortality. ‘
Responding the Permanent Secretary, Hospital Management
Board, Mrs. Modupe Olurin, a pharmacist, commended the
initiative of the wife of the President, saying it would go a
long way to add value to the health of the mothers.
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