A group of outraged Nigerians took to the streets in a bold protest outside a London hospital reportedly linked to the late President Muhammadu Buhari’s medical visits and alleged passing, demanding accountability from Nigeria’s political elite over the crumbling state of healthcare back home.
Chanting slogans like “No hospitals at home, they steal from us!” and “Fix Nigeria, stop flying abroad!”, demonstrators gathered peacefully but passionately at the gates of the hospital believed to have treated the former leader. Their message was clear: the people are tired of a system where leaders underfund public health institutions only to seek care overseas when ill.
“This is not just about Buhari,” said one protester, Amina Okonkwo, a Nigerian-British nurse. “It’s about a legacy of corruption and indifference. Our hospitals are under-equipped, our doctors underpaid, and when our leaders fall sick, they fly abroad using public funds. Meanwhile, ordinary Nigerians are left to die.”
The protest highlights a long-standing grievance: that successive Nigerian administrations have neglected the country’s healthcare system, even as they benefit from access to some of the world’s best medical care overseas. President Buhari, who reportedly spent over 200 days in the UK on medical leave during his tenure, became a symbol of this double standard.
According to the World Health Organization, Nigeria continues to rank among countries with the poorest health indices globally, with millions lacking access to basic medical services. Yet, billions of naira are reportedly spent annually by public officials on foreign medical trips.
“We have brilliant doctors in Nigeria,” said Chukwuemeka Eze, one of the organizers of the protest. “What they lack is support. How can a country of over 200 million people not have a single world-class hospital? The only time our leaders talk about healthcare is when they are lying on a hospital bed in London or Dubai.”
The protest was peaceful, with London Metropolitan Police maintaining a watchful but hands-off presence. Protesters held placards, sang solidarity songs, and distributed pamphlets urging Nigerians around the world to demand better governance and healthcare reform.
This demonstration comes amid growing calls from civil society organizations and diaspora communities for Nigerian politicians to commit to receiving medical care exclusively within the country—unless it is for emergency situations unavailable locally.
“It’s not enough to mourn leaders after they die abroad,” said Eze. “We must hold the living accountable. This is about dignity, justice, and the future of Nigerian healthcare.”