Buhari Avoided Nigerian Hospitals to Stay Alive — Femi Adesina

Former presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, has stated that Muhammadu Buhari may not have survived his illness had he depended on Nigeria’s failing healthcare system.

“Speaking during a Channels TV interview on Tuesday, Adesina defended the late President’s repeated medical trips to the United Kingdom, insisting they were a matter of survival, not luxury.”

“He always received his medical care in London, even before becoming President,” Adesina noted. “It wasn’t about office. He had been going to London for years.”

The former media aide added that Buhari’s decision to seek treatment abroad was not an act of elitism, but a necessity for staying alive. “To fix Nigeria’s healthcare, he first had to stay alive,” Adesina said. “If he had opted to use the hospitals here just for optics, he would’ve died long ago.”

He emphasized the lack of medical specialists in Nigeria as a key reason for Buhari’s dependence on foreign care. “There may not have been the expertise needed here. A man must be alive first before he can lead a change.”

The comments come amid intense public criticism over Buhari’s foreign medical trips throughout his presidency, which many Nigerians viewed as a betrayal of public trust in local healthcare institutions.

Meanwhile, Buhari’s remains departed the UK on Tuesday morning aboard a Nigerian Air Force aircraft. Accompanied by top officials including Vice President Kashim Shettima and Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila, the late president’s body was flown to Daura, Katsina State, for burial.

A state funeral is scheduled for 2 p.m., in line with Islamic rites. The Federal Government declared Tuesday, July 15, a public holiday in his honor.

Buhari, who died in London on Sunday, July 13, 2025, following a long illness, will be laid to rest in his hometown, closing a chapter on one of Nigeria’s most controversial modern leaders.