Former presidential spokesperson, Femi Adesina, has offered a candid explanation for why the late President Muhammadu Buhari consistently sought medical care abroad during his time in office. According to him, Buhari’s medical trips—especially to London—were never about luxury or status, but about survival.
Adesina made the revelation during an interview with Channels Television, ahead of Buhari’s burial in Daura, Katsina State, on Monday. The former president died on Sunday at the age of 82 in a London clinic, where he had been receiving long-term medical treatment.
“He always had his medicals in London, even before becoming president,” Adesina explained. “It wasn’t about being in office—it was about trust, experience, and access to expertise he had relied on for years.”
“He Could Have Died If He Stayed Here”
Speaking frankly, Adesina defended Buhari’s controversial medical trips, saying critics were missing the most important point: life itself.
“If he had said, ‘Let me just do my medicals in Nigeria for optics,’ he could have died a long time ago,” he said. “It wasn’t about showing off. It was about staying alive to make a difference.”
Adesina acknowledged the disappointment many Nigerians felt about the state of the local healthcare system, but insisted that no symbolism was worth the cost of a human life—not even that of a sitting president.
“You have to be alive first to change anything. You can’t reform a system if you’re no longer breathing,” he added.
“Critics Often Miss the Bigger Picture”
Throughout Buhari’s time in office, his frequent overseas trips for medical treatment sparked heated debates. Many Nigerians felt a president should lead by example and strengthen confidence in the country’s own medical system.
But Adesina believes such arguments, though valid in principle, fail to account for the realities of life-threatening health challenges and the absence of world-class care at home.
“Those who constantly talk about ‘why abroad, why not Nigeria’ forget that sometimes it’s about surviving the day. There’s no point dying just to prove a point,” he noted.
A Final Journey Home
With Buhari’s passing, many Nigerians are reflecting on both his legacy and the deeper questions he leaves behind—especially around healthcare, leadership, and the meaning of public service.
Adesina’s comments offer a glimpse into the difficult choices leaders sometimes make behind the scenes—between idealism and survival.
As the nation prepares to lay its former leader to rest in Daura, the conversation around fixing Nigeria’s healthcare system remains more urgent than ever.
“He did what he had to do to stay alive,” Adesina concluded. “Now, it’s left for those alive to fix what needs fixing.”
