The death of former President Muhammadu Buhari in a London hospital on 13 July 2025, at the age of 82, is yet another distressing reminder of Nigeria’s broken healthcare system. That the former commander-in-chief, who once pledged to build world-class health infrastructure and end medical tourism, spent his final days in a foreign clinic he frequented during his presidency is a damning footnote to a legacy of unfulfilled promises and systemic neglect.
Buhari’s long history of overseas treatment was no secret. In 2017 alone, he spent 103 consecutive days in the UK receiving care. Throughout his presidency, he made numerous medical trips abroad, refusing to rely on the very healthcare institutions under his administration. The message was clear then, and even clearer now, that not even the president believed Nigerian hospitals could keep him alive.
In a startling post-mortem admission, Femi Adesina, Buhari’s former media aide, stated during a television programme on 15 July that his principal “could have been long dead” had he relied on Nigerian hospitals. Many Nigerians viewed the statement not only as a reckless remark but as a shameful confirmation of what they already knew—that the Nigerian healthcare system is barely functional, chronically underfunded, and riddled with corruption. It is so dilapidated that even our own leaders cannot trust it with their lives.
The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), in a swift response to Adesina’s comments, said through its Rivers State Chairman, Dr Diamond Tamunokuro: “It’s an insult to well-meaning Nigerians to hear such statements from politicians and political appointees. For him to make such a statement means he has clearly admitted that he and the administration he served under were a complete failure, particularly in terms of healthcare. Nigerians should rise up and begin to ask politicians whether they mean well for the country or are simply there to enrich themselves.”
What makes this even more appalling is that during Buhari’s tenure, the Aso Rock Clinic, supposedly the best-funded medical facility in the country, was allocated over ₦13 billion, yet lacked basic equipment and consumables. Even Aisha Buhari, the First Lady at the time, publicly criticised the clinic for failing to treat her own family members.
This raises serious concerns. Why is it that in 2025, with all our resources, Nigeria still lacks the political will to establish and maintain world-class hospitals? Why must our leaders, who fly abroad at the slightest health scare, continue to pay lip service to the development of a system that serves the masses? Regrettably, President Bola Tinubu appears to be following the same script as Buhari, repeatedly travelling overseas for medical attention. What message does this send to the public? If our leaders do not believe in our hospitals, why should anyone else? And how can any reform be credible when those who promise it choose to opt out?
Concrete change must begin now through bold legislative action. The National Assembly must rise to its duty and enact laws that bar public office holders from seeking medical treatment abroad, except in cases where the treatment is demonstrably unavailable in Nigeria and certified by a panel of independent medical experts. Such a move would compel those in power to invest in the very system they have abandoned, and perhaps begin to reverse the ongoing brain drain that has seen thousands of Nigerian doctors and nurses flee the country for better opportunities overseas.
Public service must no longer be a shield for privilege. If Nigerian hospitals are not good enough for the political elite, then they are not good enough for any Nigerian. The money spent on a single presidential medical trip abroad could equip multiple primary healthcare centres across the country. It could build oxygen plants, train medical personnel, and provide life-saving drugs for children dying from treatable diseases.
We must also audit all healthcare spending during Buhari’s administration, especially funds allocated to the Aso Rock Clinic and state hospitals. Public transparency is essential. Where did the billions go? Why were there no consequences? Without accountability, reform is impossible.
Perhaps the most important change must come from our collective mindset. Nigerians must demand better, not just through outrage on social media, but through civic action and electoral choices. Leaders must be chosen not for their promises, but for their track record in delivering basic services such as health, education, and security.
The late President Buhari came to power with a reputation for discipline and integrity. Yet he died as a symbol of systemic failure, a leader who could not fix the very system he fled from. That contradiction should haunt Nigeria’s political class, and it should galvanise the rest of us into action. If our leaders will not do this for pride, let them do it for all of us, and for the children of tomorrow, who deserve to live, and die, with dignity on Nigerian soil.
