A series of high-profile deaths in London have reignited debate over Nigeria’s long-standing reliance on foreign medical care.
Former President Muhammadu Buhari, Oluyemi Adeniji (a former Minister of Foreign Affairs under President Obasanjo), oil business mogul and Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, Sheikh Isyaku Rabiu, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, Ado Bayero, Alex Ekwueme, Clement Isong, and Chukwuemeka Ojukwu all passed away in clinics or hospitals in London or nearby while receiving treatment.
These incidents highlight more than personal tragedy as they reveal a persistent national emergency.
The trend has underscored the gravity of Nigeria’s healthcare crisis, and according to Chief Consultant Family Physician at AEFUTH Abakaliki, Dr Chibuike McSteve Okeke, “The trend of Nigerian government officials seeking medical treatment in foreign countries while the domestic healthcare system deteriorates is a stark reflection of systemic failure secondary to entrenched corruption.”
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He stressed that, “It is also an erroneously class thing and misplaced priorities. It’s ironic and tragic that leaders, entrusted with improving public services, bypass the very systems they oversee to seek overseas healthcare, often with public funds.”
Past presidents and military leaders, including Buhari, Obasanjo, Yar’Adua, Goodluck Jonathan and others, regularly seek medical treatment abroad in countries such as the UK, Germany, Saudi Arabia and the US, making others see it as a nuance for medical tourism.
First Ladies and senior national figures are not spared. Stella Obasanjo died in Spain during a procedure in 2005, while Patience Jonathan and Aisha Buhari travelled to Germany and Dubai for medical attention during their husbands’ terms.
Dr. Okeke further added: “The political class left Nigerian healthcare infrastructure in deteriorated state to justify the satanic medical tourism. The medical tourism costs us about $1 billion annually. This amount is enough to upgrade our healthcare infrastructure for benefits of poor masses who surely can’t afford foreign treatment.”
The deaths of these public figures have intensified calls for a comprehensive overhaul of Nigeria’s healthcare system.
Critics argue that the continued underinvestment in health services, despite billions of naira spent since 1999, symbolizes deeper structural failures.
The Nigerian government has in recent years introduced several reforms to improve service delivery and public accountability.
However, confidence in the public healthcare system remains weak.
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Notably, Dr Okeke emphasised that “policy makers must insist that our political class use our healthcare services. Defaulters should immediately lose their political offices.”
Health budget
There has been an increase in budgetary allocations to the health sector in recent years, but this is still not adequate.
According to the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), “In the 2024 federal budget, the Government of Nigeria allocated N1.34 trillion to the health sector, representing approximately 4.64 percent of the total N28.78 trillion expenditure plan.”
The allocation rose considerably in 2025. As Nairametrics analysed, “For 2025, the allocation rose considerably to N2.48 trillion, though still accounting for just about 5.18 percent of the proposed N47.9 trillion national budget.”
In 2023, the health budget stood at N1.27 trillion, according to official figures from the Budget Office of Nigeria.
The national health budget stood at N724 billion in 2022, representing 4.2 percent of the total budget.
Despite these increases, Nigeria’s health spending remains well below the 15 percent Abuja Declaration target.
The continued under-allocation of resources has eroded public confidence and raised critical questions about the government’s commitment to providing equitable and quality healthcare.
As more leaders opt for foreign medical care, the disparity between elite access and the everyday realities faced grows starker, making a compelling case for urgent reform and renewed investment in domestic health infrastructure.
“They fail to build good hospitals in Nigeria but travel to London clincs for healthcare and some even die there,” said an Enugi State-based nurse, Ms Rose Onyemaechi.
“This means they don’t even have confidence in the hospitals they have built. This explains why I recommend a ban on foreign treatments for politicians, If they must die, let them die here.”
