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Nigerians Spent Over $3.6bn Annually On Foreign Healthcare Under Buhari

Published

2 months ago

July 21, 2025

Editor

Nigerians spent at least $29.29bn on foreign medical expenses during the eight years of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, according to The PUNCH. This translates to an annual spending of about $3.6bn during the review period.

This is according to a detailed analysis of data from the Central Bank of Nigeria’s quarterly statistical bulletins. The sum, recorded under the “Health-Related and Social Services” category, reflects cumulative outflows of foreign exchange from June 2015 to May 2023 — precisely covering the duration of Buhari’s two-term presidency, which spanned from May 29, 2015, to May 28, 2023.

The data, reviewed by our correspondent, shows the depth of Nigeria’s dependence on foreign healthcare services, with the CBN’s record showing a year-on-year movement of funds abroad for medical purposes amid economic downturns or dollar shortages at home.

It also highlights the irony that, despite repeated declarations by the administration to revamp the health sector and reduce capital flight, health-related foreign exchange outflows remained significant and even spiked dramatically during the latter years of Buhari’s presidency.

A close review of the spending pattern shows that the first year of Buhari’s presidency recorded the single highest amount spent on medical tourism. Between June 2015 and May 2016, Nigeria spent $7.81bn on health-related services abroad.

This figure alone accounted for over a quarter of the total medical tourism expenditure under his administration. Notably, September 2015 stood out as a month of exceptional outflow, with $3.20bn disbursed — the highest for any single month throughout the eight-year period.

That spike occurred during Buhari’s first few months in office and was followed by elevated monthly figures in October, November, and December of 2015, which further raised questions about whether the expenditure reflected a backlog of deferred medical bills or a broader trend among elites seeking healthcare abroad immediately after the administration took office.

In the subsequent year, between June 2016 and May 2017, the figure dipped to $2.76bn, although substantial sums were still recorded in months such as March 2016 ($0.96bn) and April 2016 ($0.67bn).

Spending continued to decline in Buhari’s third year in office, falling to $1.72bn between June 2017 and May 2018. By the fourth year of the first term, which ran from June 2018 to May 2019, Nigeria’s medical tourism bill had dropped sharply to just $0.44bn — the lowest across all eight years.

However, a closer examination of the second term reveals a different picture. After a relatively low fifth year, when Nigeria spent $0.92bn on medical services abroad between June 2019 and May 2020, there was a slight increase in the sixth year, with foreign exchange outflows reaching $1.57bn.

This modest recovery coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, which imposed global travel restrictions and temporarily subdued international medical travel. The data during the lockdown period between April 2020 and June 2021 reflected lower figures, but it also hinted at pent-up demand that would soon be unleashed.

Indeed, from June 2021, medical tourism experienced a surge once again. The seventh year of Buhari’s administration — between June 2021 and May 2022 — recorded $6.96bn in health-related foreign exchange disbursements.

June 2021 alone accounted for $3.02bn, almost matching the record set back in 2015. April 2022 saw another massive jump with $1.28bn spent, suggesting that Nigerians, particularly the affluent class and public officials, resumed international travel en masse to seek healthcare that remained inaccessible or underdeveloped at home.

The eighth and final year of the administration recorded the second-highest annual expenditure, with $7.12bn spent between June 2022 and May 2023. January 2023 was a particularly costly month, accounting for $2.30bn in medical outflows — the third highest monthly figure during Buhari’s presidency.

With this late surge in medical tourism spending, the second term of Buhari’s government, which initially appeared more conservative in terms of health-related foreign exchange usage, ended up outpacing the first term.

A total of $16.56bn was spent in the second term, compared to $12.73bn in the first term. This shift suggests that, despite earlier constraints, the underlying drivers of medical tourism — including poor local healthcare infrastructure, lack of trust in domestic medical services, and the elite’s preference for foreign treatment — remained unaddressed and may have worsened.

Throughout his presidency, Buhari was frequently criticised for seeking medical care abroad. He made multiple trips to the United Kingdom for undisclosed treatments, sometimes staying for extended periods.

Buhari, during his eight-year reign, spent at least 225 days outside the country on medical trips, visiting no fewer than 40 countries since 2015. Eight months after assuming office, the former President embarked on his first medical trip to London, United Kingdom, on February 5, 2016, spending six days.

His second medical trip followed four months later, on June 6, 2016, during which he spent 10 days treating an undisclosed ear infection. On January 19, 2017, Buhari embarked on his second-longest medical trip to London, spending 50 days away.

In May of the same year, barely two months after his last trip, he returned to London for what became his longest medical stay, lasting 104 days. He did not return to the UK for medical purposes again until May 2018, when he spent four days on a follow-up review.

In March 2021, Buhari departed for London once again, on what the Presidency described as a “routine medical check-up,” which lasted 15 days. His departure came amid a labour crisis in the health sector, during which members of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors commenced an indefinite strike over unpaid allowances.

Almost a year later, on March 6, 2022, the ex-President travelled to London again for medical reasons. This time, he spent 12 days. On October 31, 2022, Buhari departed from Owerri, the capital of Imo State, to London for another medical check-up, which lasted approximately two weeks. He returned to the country on November 13, 2022.

Former presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, consistently defended Buhari’s foreign medical trips, stating that he “has used the same medical team for about 40 years.” In a recent interview following Buhari’s death, Adesina argued: “If he had said I’d do my medicals in Nigeria just for show off or something, he could have long been dead.”

In total, Buhari undertook 84 trips to 40 countries during his tenure in office.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Medical Association, the Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria, and the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors earlier criticised political leaders for consistently seeking medical care abroad while neglecting the country’s healthcare system.

The President of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, Dr Tope Osundara, described the trend as not only disheartening but an indictment of Nigerian leaders’ investments in the sector they are expected to strengthen.

Osundara expressed disappointment that Nigerian leaders continue to patronise foreign hospitals despite annual budget allocations to domestic medical facilities like the State House Clinic.

“It’s more like building a company, investing resources in it, then refusing to use the product and telling others to trust it. It tells you that something is fundamentally wrong with the system, with the people entrusted with managing it.

“There was a time when the former president, Muhammad Buhari, made some utterances that they should abolish this medical tourism. But unfortunately, before he died, he was even at the forefront of going abroad for treatment. Even a former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, disclosed that he and Buhari were admitted to the same hospital in London shortly before Buhari passed away. This tells you that Nigeria’s healthcare system is in bad shape.”

On his part, the President of the Nigerian Medical Association, Prof Bala Audu, noted that while individuals are free to seek care wherever they choose, the consistent reliance of public office holders on foreign hospitals despite Nigeria’s budgetary allocations to domestic healthcare speaks volumes about misplaced priorities.
(PUNCH)

News

Nigerian Don Bags US Varsity Elite Research Fellowship

Published

50 minutes ago

September 5, 2025

Editor

A Nigerian scholar, Raphael Ebiefung, has been awarded the prestigious Grace Jordan McFadden Professor Programme Fellowship at the University of South Carolina.

A statement issued by the Institution noted that the “highly competitive fellowship” recognises academic leaders who advance knowledge and address pressing social challenges.

Ebiefung, a doctoral researcher and a one-time assistant lecturer and librarian at Top-Faith University, Nigeria, who specialises in human-AI interaction and information behaviour, is expected to join “an elite group of scholars shaping the future of higher education and interdisciplinary inquiry,” the University said.

Ebiefung, in a statement made available to The PUNCH on Friday, described the award as a “milestone that underscores Nigeria’s capacity to produce world-class scholars.”

He said, “I am deeply honoured to receive the Grace Jordan McFadden Fellowship. It is a testament to the resilience and potential of young Nigerian academics striving to make a global impact.

“My research seeks to understand the dynamics of human behaviour in relation to AI systems. This area is critical as we move deeper into the digital age,” he explained.

Nigerian scholars have continued to leave an impressive intellectual footprint across the world.

The PUNCH reported how, in August, a Nigerian scientist, Deborah Agbakwuru, was awarded the prestigious Besancon scholarship at the University of Montana.

The scholarship is one of the most distinguished graduate recognitions at the university and is awarded annually to an outstanding researcher in the biological, physical, and mathematical sciences.

Similarly, Nigerian-born researcher, Peter Ngene, won a €2m grant from the European Research Council for his project in 2024.

Ngene, an associate professor at the Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, was among seven researchers from Utrecht University, the Netherlands, who won the grant. According to a statement by his university, Ngene’s work focused on the “interface-mediated fast ionic conductivity in nanocomposite solid-state electrolytes.”

He said the goal was to unravel the reason why the ionic conductivity of certain solids can increase or decrease by thousands of fold at their interface with other solids.

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NBA Drags IGP Egbetokun To Court Over Tinted Glass Permit Policy

Published

2 hours ago

September 5, 2025

Editor

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has filed a lawsuit against the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, challenging the legality of the Nigeria Police Force’s tinted glass permit policy.

The lawsuit, instituted on Wednesday, September 2, 2025, before the Federal High Court in Abuja, comes months after the IGP introduced a directive requiring motorists to apply for and renew tinted glass permits annually through a digital platform, for a fee.

In a statement released Friday, the NBA described the policy as unlawful, unconstitutional, and lacking transparency. It also raised concerns that proceeds from the exercise were being paid into a private account rather than the Federation Account.

“Despite the extension of enforcement to October 2, 2025, several motorists have reported harassment and extortion by policemen at checkpoints on the basis of this policy,” the association said, warning that it infringes on citizens’ rights to privacy, freedom of movement, and dignity.

The NBA also questioned the validity of the Motor Tinted Glass (Prohibition) Act of 1991, a military-era law under which the police has anchored the policy, stressing that it may not meet constitutional tests required in a democratic society.

The action was filed by the NBA’s Section on Public Interest and Development Law (SPIDEL), led by Prof. Paul Ananaba (SAN) and Olukunle Ogheneovo Edun (SAN). The association vowed to pursue the case “to a logical conclusion.”

READ THE FULL STATEMENT BELOW:

THE NIGERIAN BAR ASSOCIATION CHALLENGES THE LEGALITY OF THE POLICE TINTED GLASS PERMIT POLICY OF THE NIGERIA POLICE FORCE

One of the key resolutions of the National Executive Council of the Nigerian Bar Association at its pre-conference NEC meeting held on the 23rd day of August 2025 in Enugu is that the NBA should challenge the legality of the Nigeria Police Force tinted permit policy in court.

In April 2025, the Inspector General of Police purportedly introduced a policy which mandated members of the Nigerian motoring public to apply for and obtain annual motor tinted glass permits from the Nigeria Police Force for a fee. The Inspector General of Police in the same month purportedly launched a digital portal (http://possap.gov.ng) through which the application for tinted glass permits were to be processed. We are being informed that the portal and the policy are to be managed by a private vendor, and there is no indication that the funds generated from the enforcement of the purported policy will go into the Federation Account.

The Inspector General of Police initially pegged the date of commencement of the enforcement of the Policy to the 1st day of June 2025, but subsequently extended the date to the 2nd day of October 2025.

Despite the fact that the date of commencement of the enforcement of the purported policy has been extended to the 2nd day of October 2025, there have been several reported cases of harassment and extortion of citizens by the Policemen in checkpoint duty on the basis of this same Policy, thus raising serious concerns of threats to and violation of citizens’ fundamental rights to dignity of human person, right to privacy, right to freedom of movement and the right to own movable property guaranteed as by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended.

Furthermore, the introduction and proposed enforcement of the tinted glass permit Policy has raised several other genuine concerns, including the validity of the Motor Tinted Glass (Prohibition) Act (Decree 1991), a military-era law under which the Police has sought refuge. A critical scrutiny of the Act would confirm concerns that the legislation may be unable to satisfy the test of a law reasonably justifiable in a democratic society under Section 45 of the 1999 Constitution as to justify reliance on it to deprive citizens of their rights to privacy and free movement.

Moreover, the fact that the legislation does not make provision for renewal of tinted glass permits or payment of fees for renewal are serious issues which clearly reveal that the Policy lacks statutory foundation.

Furthermore, that payment for the permit is being made into a private account: PARKWAY PROJECTS Account No: 4001017918 raises serious concerns of transparency surrounding the utilisation of funds realised from the exercise, given that the account is neither domiciled with the Central Bank of Nigeria nor associated with the Treasury Single Account of the Federal Government of Nigeria.

Against the above backdrop, the Nigerian Bar Association, through its Section on Public Interest and Development Law (SPIDEL) has on Wednesday the 2nd September 2025 instituted a public interest action before the Federal High Court, Abuja in Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/182/2025 between: The Incorporated Trustees of the Nigerian Bar Association v. The Inspector General of Police & Anor essentially challenging the legality of the tinted glass permit policy.

The NBA-SPIDEL, under the leadership of its Transition Committee Chairman, Prof. Paul Ananaba, SAN and the Section’s Public Interest Litigation Committee, chaired by Mr. Olukunle Ogheneovo Edun, SAN, whose proactive efforts were responsible for the accomplishment of this task, have been directed to pursue this litigation to a logical conclusion.

News

Peju Ogunmola’s Family Breaks Silence On Cause Of Son’s Death

Published

2 hours ago

September 5, 2025

Editor

The family of veteran actress, Peju Ogunmola, has spoken out for the first time following the passing of the actress’ only son, Sola Ayomikun Omobolanle, dismissing rumours about the circumstances of his death.

Tribune Online reports that Ayomikun, the 24-year-old son of Ogunmola and her husband, comic actor Sunday Omobolanle, popularly known as Aluwe, died on September 2, 2025.

Shortly after the news broke, unverified reports surfaced online alleging that his death was linked to a bathroom accident — claims the family has now categorically denied.

In a statement signed by Yemi Amodu on behalf of the Ogunmola family, they clarified that Ayomikun passed away in a hospital in Ibadan after a brief illness, not from any accident.

The statement read: “It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of our beloved son, Sola Ayomikun Omobolanle, a jewel, a precious child, and a rising star whose light shone brightly and touched many lives.

“We wish to clearly state that Sola did not pass away as a result of any bathroom accident, contrary to false reports being circulated online. He was briefly unwell and, during this period, received first-class medical care. Despite the best efforts of the medical team, he peacefully answered the call of his Creator.”

The family further condemned the speculation surrounding his death, describing it as painful and disrespectful.

“These misleading stories, suggesting that Sola died from a fall in the bathroom without help, are entirely false. They not only dishonour his memory but also bring unnecessary pain to his loved ones,” the statement added.

According to the family, Ayomikun has since been laid to rest at Eternal Rest Home in Ibadan, surrounded by relatives and close friends.

They also expressed appreciation for the support received during their period of mourning:

“At this time of grief, we are deeply grateful for the outpouring of love, prayers, and support we have received from family, friends, colleagues, and well-wishers. Your kindness has been a source of strength and comfort. We pray that no family will ever have to endure the pain of untimely loss. May the Almighty grant Sola eternal rest and grant us all the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss.”