Confusion As Buhari’s Minister Slumps In Bauchi

There was confusion when the Minister of State for Trade and Investment, Amb Maryam Yalwaji Katagum, took ill and slumped while delivering speech at the flag-off and official commissioning of North East zonal office for the implementation of the Nigeria Agribusiness and Agro Industry Development Initiative in the Bauchi, the Bauchi State capital.

Katagum was in Bauchi to commission the North East zonal office of the programme in Bauchi, yesterday.

She slumped while delivering her speech.

The minister was rushed to the Trauma Centre of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH).

The minister, had last Sunday night featured in a live programme on Globe FM Radio, and had other personal engagements which must have exhausted her before the official programme on Monday, sources said.

It was revealed that when she arrived the venue of the ceremony, she had looked withdrawn, touching her head occasionally as the programme was going on with the Bauchi State Deputy Governor, Senator Baba Tela, in attendance.

As of the time of filing this report, Katagum was still at the trauma centre of the ATBUTH where she is recovering from medical attention with the Deputy Governor, Sen Baba Tela monitoring the situation.

At the trauma centre of ATBUTH, officials of the ministry as well as those of the state government were seen seated, monitoring the situation as one of them said that the minister was, indeed, rushed to the hospital but declined further comments.

None of the medical personnel approached was ready to confirm the situation the minister was in apart from the fact that she was brought to the hospital and adequate medical attention administered on her.

A top government official said that as soon as the situation is stabilized, the minister will be flown to Abuja for further medical attention.

The occasion was organised between the Federal Ministry of Industry Trade and Investment in collaboration with Bauchi State Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

The aim of the programme is to diversify the productive base of the Nigerian economy through agro industrial enterprises, reducing dependence on imports of agro industry products, to provide job opportunities through domestic and foreign direct investments, and to promote trade in agro industrial products and promoting profitability of agribusiness and agro industry investment.

In her speech before she slumped, the minister said that the initiative was strategic for the implementation of economic diversification agenda of the Federal Government, and efforts anchored on the economic recovery and its sustainability with the sole aimed to develop the -nonoil sector.

She said the programme will boost production encourage value addition and export in order to increase foreign exchange earnings wealth and job creation.

Katagum thanked the state government for accepting to key into the initiative and arrangements towards the establishment of the office.

In his remarks, the state Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed, who was represented by his Deputy, Senator Baba Tela, advised peasant farmers to form cooperative societies to benefit from the programme.

He thanked the Federal Ministry of Trade for citing the zonal office in Bauchi.