A former media aide to the late President Muhammadu Buhari, Garba Shehu, has stated that the former leader’s frequent medical visits abroad were based on personal preference and not a vote of no confidence in Nigeria’s healthcare system.
Naijaonpoint reports that Shehu made the clarification during an appearance on Inside Sources, a programme aired on Channels Television, where he responded to remarks by Femi Adesina, another former spokesperson to Buhari.
Adesina had stirred controversy after claiming that “President Buhari could have died a long time ago” had he relied solely on Nigerian hospitals due to a lack of expertise in the country’s health sector.
However, Garba Shehu dismissed Adesina’s assertion, insisting that Buhari remained under the care of Nigerian doctors throughout his presidency.
Shehu said, “I think it is wrong to assume that he fenced himself off from the Nigerian medical system.
“He had a Nigerian doctor, a chief personal physician, and a State House Clinic, also led by a medical consultant, a distinguished doctor of many years of practice.”
He added that the president’s medical team was always on standby to attend to his health concerns.
“In terms of the immediacy of his own medical needs, they were always present to administer to him,” Shehu explained.
Shehu acknowledged Buhari’s recurring overseas treatment but attributed it to a longstanding medical relationship abroad, rather than criticising local health facilities.
He said, “As for his attachment to his past practice abroad for his medicals, he had an attachment to that.
“It was not that he was disrespectful of Nigeria’s medical practice or that he didn’t believe in it.”
Shehu also emphasised the global presence and excellence of Nigerian-trained doctors, noting that they dominate medical institutions worldwide.
“For most people who also travel abroad and they need to see doctors, I have experienced this in America, you go into the office of the doctor and you find that it’s a Nigerian surgeon, it’s a Nigerian doctor,” he noted.
President Muhammadu Buhari died on July 13, 2025, at a clinic in London after a prolonged illness. He was laid to rest on July 15 at his private residence in Daura, Katsina State.