As Nigeria continues to mourn the passing of its former President, Muhammadu Buhari, the Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, His Grace Alfred Adewale Martins, has issued a passionate call for a complete overhaul of the nation’s healthcare system. Archbishop Martins linked Buhari’s death in a London hospital on Sunday, July 13, 2025, to the persistent failures of Nigeria’s health sector, describing the situation as both tragic and revealing.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the Archbishop extended heartfelt condolences to the late president’s family and the Nigerian people. He also seized the moment to raise broader concerns about the state of medical infrastructure in the country and the consequences of continued neglect by successive governments.
“The death of former President Muhammadu Buhari should not just be an occasion for mourning but a wake-up call for urgent and strategic reform of our healthcare system,” Archbishop Martins stated. “It is telling that another Nigerian leader had to breathe his last in a foreign hospital due to a lack of confidence in the care available at home.”
Buhari died in a private medical facility in London after battling an undisclosed illness. His death has triggered an outpouring of grief across Nigeria and the African continent, with tributes coming in from world leaders, regional organizations, and citizens reflecting on his legacy. However, the circumstances surrounding his passing have also reignited debates about medical tourism, healthcare access, and infrastructure failures within Nigeria.
Archbishop Martins did not hold back in pointing out the irony that plagued Buhari’s administration. He reminded Nigerians of the public outcry made by former First Lady Aisha Buhari during her husband’s presidency, where she lamented the substandard condition of the State House Clinic in Abuja—a facility meant to serve the nation’s top officials.
“If the former First Lady could publicly lament the condition of the clinic within the Presidential Villa, then one can only imagine what ordinary citizens go through daily in our public hospitals,” the Archbishop remarked. “It is indeed a shame that decades after independence, Nigerian leaders still rely heavily on foreign hospitals for medical care.”
He added that Buhari’s death closely mirrors the passing of another Nigerian president, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, who died in 2010 while undergoing treatment in Saudi Arabia. According to Archbishop Martins, the repeated pattern of losing leaders abroad underscores systemic dysfunction and misplaced priorities in governance.
“This is now the second time a sitting or former president has died in a foreign hospital,” he said. “It reflects the tragic failure to build a healthcare system worthy of the people. These are not just coincidences—they are the result of years of neglect and a refusal to invest where it truly matters.”
Nigeria’s healthcare system has long suffered from underfunding, lack of personnel, outdated equipment, and inadequate infrastructure. With a population exceeding 200 million, the nation continues to experience widespread health disparities and is one of the largest sources of outbound medical tourism on the continent. Government officials, elites, and even middle-class citizens routinely travel abroad for services as basic as medical checkups, childbirth, and cancer treatment—procedures that should be readily available at home.
The Archbishop stressed that this trend not only drains national resources but also undermines the dignity of ordinary Nigerians who cannot afford such privileges.
“We must stop exporting our sick to other nations,” he said. “The billions spent on medical tourism could instead be invested in revamping public hospitals, training healthcare professionals, and equipping our facilities to international standards.”
He urged policymakers to use Buhari’s passing as a defining moment to chart a new course for the nation’s health sector, insisting that Nigeria cannot afford to lose more citizens—let alone its leaders—due to preventable medical challenges and inaccessible care.
“It is not enough to mourn and move on,” he emphasized. “Let this be a turning point. The government must prioritize healthcare in the national budget, incentivize medical professionals to stay in Nigeria, and establish strong systems that deliver quality care to all.”
Martins also expressed concern about the brain drain crisis affecting Nigeria’s medical sector. Thousands of doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers have migrated to countries like the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States in search of better working conditions and career opportunities.
“The flight of our best medical minds is a direct consequence of policy failure,” he stated. “When professionals cannot work with dignity or access basic tools, they will naturally leave. We must reverse this trend by creating a system that values them and rewards their service.”
The Archbishop’s message has resonated widely across social media, where Nigerians have echoed similar frustrations. Many commenters on X (formerly Twitter) have called for a national healthcare summit and long-term legislation to protect public health infrastructure from political neglect.
Buhari, who served as Nigeria’s military head of state from 1983 to 1985 before returning as a democratically elected president in 2015, was known for his strong anti-corruption rhetoric and emphasis on discipline in public life. However, his frequent medical trips to London during his presidency drew criticism from the public and civil society groups, who questioned the administration’s commitment to building a robust domestic healthcare system.
His death in a foreign clinic has, therefore, reignited those discussions in a way that many believe could prompt serious reflection—if not immediate reform.
As Nigerians continue to pay their final respects to the former leader, Archbishop Martins’ call serves as a sobering reminder that the true legacy of Buhari—and indeed all leaders—may well lie in what they leave behind for the common man. Whether this moment will mark a turning point in Nigeria’s health sector remains to be seen.
Reporting by Africa Live News
For more expert insights, national updates, and in-depth reporting, visit www.africalivenews.com or follow us on all social platforms.
