The Majority leader of the Lagos State House of Assembly and the representative of Ikorodu Constituency I, Hon. S. O. B. Agunbiade, has clarified that his recent medical trip abroad was based on medical advice by different medical experts and consultants due to the injury he sustained on one of his bone joints contrary to the rumour that he was rushed abroad due to an internal organ problem or any critical or devastating ailment.
The four term lawmaker made this clarification in a release he personally issued and signed four days after returning to the country after spending two months abroad to undergo surgery.
Hon. Agunbiade left the shore of the country alongside his wife, Alhaja Tairat, on Sunday, March 8, 2020, for the medical trip and after having a successful surgery, his initial attempt to return to the country was delayed due to the closure of the country’s airspace in an effort to curtail the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.
He later returned to the country with his wife on Wednesday, May 6, 2020, but were quarantined alongside other returnees for the stipulated 14 days quarantine period prescribed for those returning to the Country from abroad by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to ascertain their COVID-19 status.
The lawmaker and his wife had since, however, completed the two weeks quarantine during which they underwent another test, aside the one they did abroad, to ascertain their COVID – 19 status and the result once again came out negative.
Speaking on his medical trip abroad in the release, Hon. Agunbiade said that he had a successful surgery with a specialist to correct one of his bone joints and denied that he was rushed abroad for emergency treatment for an internal organ or any critical ailment.
“I left Nigeria in the company of my wife on Sunday, March 8, 2020, on a medical trip as counselled by different medical experts and consultants.
“All the counsels made reference to a particular specialist hospital. I was not rushed out on emergency as some mischief makers have claimed around town”, Hon. Agunbiade stated while putting the record straight.
“For clarity, sometime ago, I hurt one of my bone joints. I thought I had treated the injury perfectly but it later developed into Osteoarthritis, which can best be cured by orthopedic surgery.
“That was the crux of my sojourn away from the country. I had no internal organ problem or any critical and devastating ailment that some had attributed to me on account of my trip”, he stated.
The popular lawmaker did not fail to address rumour allegedly being peddled by some old politicians in his constituency about his state of health, while he was full of appreciation for all those that expressed genuine concerns about his whereabouts for over two months.
“It is so disheartening that some funny characters in their old age, could engage in the mischief of fabricating and peddling ugly rumours about my state of health, wishing me what they could not wish their children.
“Rather than wishing them anything near what they wished me, I will leave them to the perfect judgement of God.
“For all those that expressed genuine concerns about my very curious absence from circulation for almost two months, I extend my appreciations and pray that you and your household will never know sorrow.
He commended the efforts of Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the Director – General of the Nigeria Diaspora Commission, in ensuring that he and his wife were part of those to be airlifted back to the country.
“I must acknowledge the wonderful interventional communications that Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa had with me as the Director General of the Nigeria Diaspora commission, throughout our struggle to be part of stranded Nigerians to be airlifted back to the country.”
He was also full of praises to the Almighty God whom he described by many names for the success of his surgery, his negative result to coronavirus and his protection and safe return to the country.
Hon. Agunbiade also thanked the Coordinator and members of his political machinery, the Onward Movement of Nigeria, for holding forth while he was away.
Also in the release, Hon. Agunbiade charged his constituents and generality of Lagos residents to ensure that they take necessary COVID – 19 test to ascertain their status.
He stated that it is better for residents to take the test and ascertain their respective status to save themselves from unnecessary apprehension in this period when the deadly virus is ravaging the globe.
“I will urge every individual to be bold to ascertain his or her health status in respect of this global virulent virus. It is more assuring and helps in saving one from unnecessary apprehensions.
My wife and I took the advantage of the extended stay to procure COVID-19 test with the Health Authority of our host country and both of us tested negative to the pandemic virus.”