By Abiola Olawale
Mr Femi Adesina, a former Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the immediate past President Muhammadu Buhari, has explained why late former President Muhammadu Buhari preferred to undertake his medical check ups in the United Kingdom.
In an interview aired on Channels Television, Adesina maintained that the late president, who passed away on Sunday, July 13, 2025, at age 82 in a London clinic, would have died much earlier had he relied on Nigerian hospitals for treatment.
Adesina emphasized that Buhari’s frequent medical trips to London, even before his presidency from 2015 to 2023, were critical to his survival.
“Like I said, he always had his medicals in London, even when he was not in office. So it was not about the time he was president alone,” Adesina stated.
He further argued that Buhari’s decision to seek treatment abroad was pragmatic, not a publicity stunt.
“One has to be alive first to get certain things corrected or changed in the country. If Buhari had said he would do his medicals here as a show of patriotism or something, he could have long been dead because there may not be the expertise needed in the country,” he said.
The remarks have been greeted with debates about the state of Nigeria’s healthcare system, which has faced decades of underfunding, outdated infrastructure, and a mass exodus of medical professionals.
