RingTrue with Yemi Adebowale, September 22, 2026 yemiadebowale@yahoo.com; 08054699539 (text only)
Clearly, with the extension announced on September 21, President Bola Tinubu is obviously enjoying his “working vacation” in Europe. He departed Nigeria on August 30 for London and after about two weeks, moved to Paris, France. The return date is now September 26. Working vacation indeed.
I am always horrified with frequent official statements about Tinubu’s “working vacation” in Europe. These have been on for 40 months. It is an open secret that the vacations are for medicals. Yes, medicals! This is human.
So, why is he hesitant to say so? Why is he timid? Tinubu is a public figure and Nigerians deserve to regularly know his medical challenges. Why lace such press statement with falsehood? Well, it can only happen in third world countries.
My foremost issue with our dear president is that, since resuming office, he has been spending public funds for his foreign medicals; more so, spending forex from a recessed economy. Only God knows how much of public funds have gone down for these endless foreign medicals.
This must not continue in a country where millions of Nigerians are wallowing in abject poverty. I will never forget how late President Muhammadu Buhari spent $50,000 treating ear infection in London.
I am always dismayed each time Tinubu runs to European hospitals. It is a big shame that after over three years in power, our President (just like calamity Buhari) is yet to raise any medical facility in the country to the standard capable of meeting his medical needs.
If our President can raise the standard of the National Hospital, Abuja, to the level of the one he attends in the United Kingdom and France, it will save this country huge forex. Besides, many Nigerians will also benefit. Unfortunately, this has not been done.
Hospitals in mother Nigeria are still not up to the standard that could take care of knee cap replacement and management. That is what Tinubu has demonstrated. In this clime, those in government, who should put our medical facilities in shape, run abroad for all manner of medicals.
What a country! I guess Tinubu’s supporters will argue that there is no law stopping him from going for medicals in Europe. Well, the burden on him is more of a moral one, considering that he had doggedly preached “Nigeria first”, i.e., we should always look inwards for our needs.
It seems Tinubu has forgotten the Executive Order he signed last year on the “Renewed Hope Nigeria First” policy that mandates all federal ministries, departments and agencies to give absolute priority to Nigerian goods, services and know how when spending public funds.
Medicals are evidently covered. The directive puts Nigeria at the centre of every kobo the government spends, mirroring the US President Donald Trump’s “America First” doctrine. So, President Tinubu, what is happening?
Besides the moral burden, I need to remind President Tinubu and his supporters that there is an official government policy against foreign medicals for public officers. This came into force under late President Buhari in 2016, who then lamented Nigeria’s loss of over N400 billion, yearly, to medical tourism.
The announcement made on April 2016 was that the federal government would no longer provide funds for foreign medical of government officials, unless the case can’t be handled in Nigeria.
This was stated at the opening ceremony of the 56th Annual General Conference Meeting of the Nigeria Medical Association in Sokoto State.
Buhari, who was represented at the 2016 forum by the then Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, said: “Government will not encourage medical tourism with the nation’s resources.
While this administration will not deny anyone of his or her fundamental human rights, we will certainly not encourage expending Nigerian hard-earned resources on any government official seeking medical care abroad, when such can be handled in Nigeria.”
Well, Buhari himself did not respect the official policy, despite clearly stating that taxpayers’ money would not be used to pay for foreign medicals of public servants.
While his reign lasted, the late President and his family frequently ran abroad for medicals. His son was flown abroad for medicals after a bike accident. At a point, the then First Lady, Aisha Buhari embarked on 21-day medicals in Dubai for the treatment of a neck pain. She returned to the country “extremely excited.” Thought-provoking.
We have not been told what President Tinubu’s health challenge is, but with focused investment in quality equipment and quality manpower by a forward-looking government, I doubt if there would be any health challenge that can’t be handled in this country. Emphasis should be on building/expanding the capacity of the Nigerian health sector. In over three years, Tinubu failed in this direction.
It is so depressing to note that Tinubu and his predecessors have failed to raise the quality of healthcare in Nigeria. Just like late calamity Buhari, Tinubu has also flagrantly breached the official policy of not spending government funds on the foreign medicals of public servants. May be, someday, somehow, Tinubu would have to make refunds to Nigeria for his foreign medicals.
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