Garba Shehu, media aide to the late Muhammadu Buhari, has stated that the former president’s frequent medical trips abroad should not be seen as a rejection of Nigeria’s healthcare system.

This statement follows comments made by Femi Adesina, a former presidential spokesperson, who suggested that Buhari could have faced serious health consequences had he solely relied on Nigerian hospitals, citing a lack of medical expertise.

During an appearance on Inside Sources, a program on Channels TV, Shehu insisted that Buhari remained under the care of Nigerian doctors throughout his presidency.

“I think it is wrong to assume that he fenced himself off from the Nigerian medical system,” Shehu asserted. “He had a Nigerian doctor as his chief personal physician, and the State House clinic was also led by a distinguished medical consultant with many years of practice.”

According to Shehu, the medical team was consistently available to address the president’s health needs. “In terms of the immediacy of his own medical needs, they were always present to administer to his own needs,” he added.

While acknowledging Buhari’s regular visits abroad for treatment, Shehu described these choices as a matter of personal preference rather than a lack of faith in Nigeria’s medical capabilities. “As for his attachment to his past practice abroad for his medicals, he had an attachment to that,” Shehu remarked. “It was not that he was disrespectful of Nigeria’s medical practice or that he didn’t believe in it.”

He also highlighted that many Nigerian-trained doctors have successfully established their practices overseas, stating, “For most people who also travel abroad and 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.”

Buhari passed away on July 13 in a clinic in London after a prolonged illness and was subsequently buried at his residence in Daura, Katsina State, on July 15.