Bill Gates confirms cancellation of trip to Nigeria but denies Alamieyeseigha’s link

The headquarters of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has confirmed America’s richest man, Bill Gates, has cancelled his scheduled March 27-28 visit to Nigeria as exclusively reported by this newspaper this morning.

“Yes he has cancelled it,” a spokesperson for the foundation told PREMIUM TIMES by telephone. “As you know he goes there once a year and he is actively engaged there. But this time, we have to rework his schedule. Nothing is certain yet about when next he will visit. As soon as we are able to arrange a new schedule, we will let you know.”

When asked whether the cancellation of the visit had anything to do with the diplomatic row between Nigeria and the U.S. over the controversial pardon granted ex-convicts Diepreye Alamieyeseigha  and Mohammed Bulama,  the official said, “No” and then added that she would request one of her colleagues to get back to us.

Almost immediately, James Whittington, a 
senior communications officer, (Africa and Middle East) with the foundation called to say the reasons our sources gave for the cancellation of Mr. Gates’ visit are false.

“Changes to Bill’s travel schedule sometimes happen for a variety of reasons,” Mr. Whittington said. ” As you know, he has visited Nigeria often, he follows closely Nigeria’s polio eradication and routine immunization efforts and is always keen to see the work of our partners in the field. He looks forward to visiting Nigeria when his schedule will permit.”

He however did not say why the billionaire’s schedule has changed at this time.

Mr. Gates  had planned to be in Nigeria March 27 and 28 this month to meet President Goodluck Jonathan, state governors and officials of the Federal Ministry of Health concerning the aggressive polio eradication campaign his Bill and Melinda Foundation is undertaking in the country.

But the trip, authoritative diplomatic sources said, was cancelled, two days after the U.S. government expressed disappointment with its Nigerian counterpart for pardoning convicted money launderers and warned it might cut aid meant for the country.

When we put the claim by the Bill and Mellinda Gates Foundation to our sources, one of them said, “This is a sensitive issue, so you don’t expect the foundation to admit to you that Bill is staying off because Washington requested him to do so. Americans are smarter than that.”