“Buhari Could Have Died If He Used Nigerian Hospitals” – Femi Adesina

Femi Adesina, former spokesperson to the late President Muhammadu Buhari, has defended his former principal’s frequent medical trips abroad while in office, stating that the ex-president might have died had he relied on Nigeria’s health system.

Speaking during a live interview on Channels Television on Tuesday, Adesina justified Buhari’s controversial medical tourism, saying the former president’s survival depended on the advanced care he received in the United Kingdom.

“If he had said ‘I will do my medicals in Nigeria’ just as a show-off or something, he could have long been dead because there may not be the expertise needed in the country,” Adesina stated.

Buhari, who died on Sunday in a London hospital, was widely criticised during his presidency for consistently seeking medical treatment abroad despite repeated promises to revamp Nigeria’s healthcare infrastructure.

Adesina, however, maintained that Buhari’s foreign medical care was not a decision made only during his presidency. “He always had his medicals in London even when he was not in office. It was not about the time he was president alone. You have to be alive to get certain things changed or corrected in your country,” he explained.

According to Adesina, Buhari’s recurring medical visits to the UK were necessary for him to stay alive long enough to contribute to the development of Nigeria’s health sector.

“But he needed to be alive to be able to lead the country to a point when we will have that expertise,” he said.

Buhari’s health status was a topic of national concern and intense speculation throughout his presidency, especially during his prolonged absences from the country. During his two terms between 2015 and 2023, the former president reportedly spent over 225 days receiving medical treatment in London.

Ironically, in 2016—shortly before Buhari’s first medical trip as president—his administration, through the Federal Ministry of Health, publicly condemned medical tourism, calling it a waste of national resources. The ministry stated at the time: “While this administration will not deny anyone of his or her fundamental human rights, we will certainly not encourage expending Nigerian hard-earned resources on any government official seeking medical care abroad when such can be handled in Nigeria.”

Despite that stance, Buhari continued to seek medical care overseas throughout his presidency, a move that drew widespread criticism from citizens and medical professionals who viewed it as a vote of no confidence in the Nigerian healthcare system.