by Isi Esene

In what sounded like a narration of how she spent her ‘moment’s rest’, Dame Patience Jonathan yesterday, at the Presidential Villa chapel opened up on her experience while away in Europe in what many had suspected was a medical trip.

The First Lady who did not reveal the nature of her illness told those in attendance at the Special Thanksgiving service that she passed out for several days and was practically requesting for her doctors to operate on her at the height of her sickness.

According to her: “I remember when Chief (Olusegun) Obasanjo was the President of the country, I was close to his late wife, Stella. We worshipped together in this chapel.

“It was a painful moment for me that time when she died and her corpse was brought here. That was how my corpse would have been brought here. It was not an easy experience for me. I actually died; I passed out for more than a week. My intestine and tummy were opened.

“I am not Lazarus but my experience was similar to his own. My doctors said all hope was lost.

“A black doctor in London who is with us in this service was flown in when the situation became critical. It was God himself in His infinite mercy that said I would return to Nigeria. God woke me up after seven days.

“I know that some people somehow leaked the information that I was dead. They are people that I trust and rely on; to them, I was dead and I would never return to the country alive. Some of them even sold my things off.

“I won’t say everything here. It is the Lord’s doing that I returned alive. When God says yes, nobody can say no.

“People are always afraid of operation (surgery) but in my own case, while my travail lasted, I was begging for it (surgery) after the third operation because I was going to the theatre every day.

“It was God who saw me through. I did eight or nine operations within one month. It was not an easy one.”

READ: Just a moment’s rest: “The first lady is not hospitalised” – Presidency

At the reception organised after the service, President Goodluck Jonathan thanked God for sparing the life of his wife.

He reportedly said, “The story was that one of us (the President or his wife) will die. Today we are celebrating her.

“Her recovery has put an end to that belief. I am not too good in celebrating, but for this particular one, I think we have to thank God for keeping the life of my wife.

“If anything had happened, there would have been different stories. Fake prophets would have given their stories. As mortals, we must fall sick and die but how and when is what matters most.

“To die when serving your people is not good. Death should come after you have finished serving.”

READ: #NowWeKnow: President Jonathan spills the beans, contradicts media aides

It is pertinent to note that all through this period of the First Lady’s absence, her media handlers maintained that she was in Europe taking a moment’s rest to take time-off her grueling itinerary during the 2011 elections and also hosting the African First Ladies Summit.

Her media handlers told Nigerians in September last year when she was outside the country that she was in perfect health and not in a hospital of any sort.

According to her spokesman, Ayo Osinlu, Dame Patience Jonathan did actually travel abroad, but she was only away to take a “moment’s rest” given that she has not taken a rest since President Jonathan’s election in 2011.

“If you look at her itinerary in August, you will be wondering how she was able to accomplish that. In the course of this week she will be back home. But remember, it all depends on her plans,” he concluded.

Now we know what Dame Patience Jonathan did last September, and it was definitely not a moment’s rest.