Femi Adesina, former media aide to late President Muhammadu Buhari, has stirred conversation with his defense of Buhari’s consistent medical trips abroad, particularly to the United Kingdom.
In an interview with Channels TV, Adesina explained that the former president had been receiving treatment in London long before he ever took office, insisting that the decision was based on survival not vanity.
“Buhari had always done his medicals in London, even before becoming president,” Adesina said. “It wasn’t just because he was in power. That was his go-to medical team.”
The former presidential spokesperson stated that Buhari prioritized staying alive in order to serve the nation and work toward improving Nigeria’s healthcare system. According to him, had Buhari insisted on being treated in Nigeria just to make a point, he may not have survived.
“Let’s be honest,if he had said, ‘I’ll stay in Nigeria to prove a point,’ he could have long been dead. There simply may not have been the expertise required to manage his condition,” he explained.
Adesina added that Buhari believed it was necessary to be alive and well in order to help build a stronger healthcare infrastructure within Nigeria.
“You have to be alive first before you can change anything. His goal was to lead Nigeria to a point where we will eventually have that level of medical expertise locally.”
