Femi Adesina, the former Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, has sparked controversy with the audacious claim that his former boss might have passed away long ago if he had depended on Nigerian hospitals, in what seemed to be a critical assessment of Nigeria’s healthcare system.
During a special funeral broadcast on Channels Television on Tuesday, Adesina made the statement in honor of the late former President, who died on Sunday in a hospital in London.
Adesina defended the former leader’s long-standing relationship with hospitals in the United Kingdom in response to critics who questioned Buhari’s preference for foreign medical treatment, claiming that his decision was founded on medical necessity and consistency.
“Those who are criticising the fact that he died in a London hospital forget that he had used that hospital for decades” Adesina stated. “Even before he became president in 2015, he was already using that hospital. The doctors were familiar with his medical history.”
He also emphasized that certain hospitals in Nigeria lack the equipment and knowledge necessary to treat Buhari’s illness.
The former presidential spokesperson continued, “If he had subjected himself to some of our hospitals, maybe he would have been long gone”
Adesina’s remarks coincided with a resurgence of national discussions regarding the condition of Nigeria’s healthcare system and the growing practice of political elites traveling overseas for medical treatment.
