The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Aisha Jummai Alhassan, has denied reports that she slumped during her two-day visit to the Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, camp at Fulfure Local Government Area of Adamawa State.
It would be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari had instructed the Minister of Women Affairs to investigate allegations of human rights abuses in the IDP camps located in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states respectively. Speaking through the Ministry’s Deputy Director of Press, Mallam Hassan Dodo, the Minister said she had gone to visit the IDP camp as instructed by the President to ensure that they were well catered for, and also to inspect the stores where the Federal Government bought provisions for the needs of the IDPs. She added that it was paramount to ensure that the items were not diverted, saying “when I went into the stores to inspect the items, it was quite stuffy and I had to sit down. ‘’I even spoke to some press men after the inspection, I’m shocked that the media is saying I slumped.” She said after the visit, she went to Government House to hold a town hall meeting with some women before finally leaving the state. “I don’t know why the media will report something so false,’’ the minister said. Some national dailies had reported that the women affairs minister slumped, adding “that barely a few minutes after walking with the aid of crutches into the hall, Alhassan who recently had an operation for an undisclosed ailment slumped”. The report added that she was immediately assisted by her aides who got a chair and started fanning her.
