Nyesom Wike. Photo Source: Instagram.
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Claim: A Facebook user claims Wike collapsed at a meeting in Abuja due to a partial stroke.
Verdict: False. DUBAWA discovered that no credible news outlet reported the alleged incident. Moreover, the media aide to the FCT minister, Lere Olayinka, told DUBAWA that the Facebook post lacks credibility.
Full Text
In November 2024, controversial Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike begged the presidency not to sanction him after rough handling the visiting Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.
It was not the first time the former two-time Rivers State governor had been embroiled in drinking problems. In 2023, former transport minister and governor of Rivers State Rotimi Amaechi accused Wike of spending N50 million weekly on alcohol. That same year, the special assistant on public communication to former vice president Atiku Abubakar, Phrank Shaibu, also advised the FCT minister to desist from drinking.
Against this backdrop, a Facebook user, Mallam Murtala Hassan, claims Wike collapsed at a meeting in Abuja due to excessive alcohol intake.
“BREAKING NEWS: Wike Collapses in Abuja Meeting Due to Excessive Alcohol, Diagnosed with Partial Stroke,” the Facebook user wrote.
As of Saturday, March 29, 2025, the claim has generated 186 likes, 137 comments, and shared 101 times.
“Very good development indeed,” Mube Da commented.
“No amount of alcohol can (kill) Wike,” Ahmad Adamu Abubakar wrote.
“Hahahaha, you wish (but) you are not God,” Nafama Thinu commented.
DUBAWA decided to verify the claim and dismiss any untruth that could be maliciously linked to the FCT minister.
Verification
DUBAWA checked news reports about the alleged FCT minister’s health crisis and discovered that no credible media outlet had reported such a crisis.
We checked the minister’s social media handles on X and Facebook but found no information about the alleged incident. DUBAWA noticed that Wike was present at some major project sites in the Abuja metropolis, where he assessed the ongoing work progress on Friday, March 28, 2025.
We contacted the media aide to the FCT minister, Lere Olayinka, who told DUBAWA that the alleged incident was unconvincing.
“How is it possible that the Minister was in a meeting and he collapsed, and he was rushed to the hospital, and they said they did a laboratory test and it was alcohol? What kind of laboratory test is that?” Olayinka queried.
“If that kind of thing happened since yesterday, and you did not find it in any of the mainstream media, the moment you see stuff like that, you people should conclude that it is not true,” he further argued.
We also ran a Google Reverse Image Search on the images attached to the post and discovered that the photos were related to previous events. They are not linked to the Minister’s alleged health crisis.
The first image, which shows Wike talking while sitting in a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) watermark image, was taken from an interview BBC Pidgin conducted with the minister about his administration as Rivers State’s former governor.
An image of Wike being interviewed by BBC was used to suggest he has an alleged health crisis.
The second image, which shows three officers chasing an unknown target, is from a video released in 2018. Three men were filmed intruding into the Senate house and stealing the mace.
A 2018 video of hoodlums stealing the National Assembly mace was used to suggest Wike was rushed to the hospital after collapsing at a meeting.
The last image is linked to the Senate’s reaction to the stolen mace.
The Senate’s reaction to the stolen mace in 2018 was used to suggest chaos amidst Wike’s alleged health crisis.
Conclusion
The claim is false. The aide to the FCT minister told DUBAWA that the Facebook post was not credible.
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