Garba Shehu says Buhari’s foreign medical trips were personal, not due to incompetence in Nigerian hospitals, countering Femi Adesina’s earlier claims.
Garba Shehu, former presidential aide to the late President Muhammadu Buhari, has disagreed with ex-colleague Femi Adesina over Buhari’s foreign medical trips, stating they were a matter of personal choice, not due to inadequate local healthcare.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Inside Sources, Shehu refuted Adesina’s claim that Buhari would have died if he had relied on Nigerian hospitals.
“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,” Shehu said.
He added that Buhari’s foreign medical visits were based on a long-standing relationship with overseas doctors, not a rejection of Nigerian professionals.
Shehu also noted that many Nigerian-trained doctors work abroad and are globally recognised for their competence.
The remarks come amid renewed debate on the state of Nigeria’s health sector.