Yesterday, Nigeria lost one of its most consequential leaders — former President Muhammadu Buhari — who passed away in a London hospital. A military man, a two-time national leader, and a man whose name has become synonymous with Nigeria’s fight against corruption and insecurity, Buhari’s death marks the end of a political era.

As we extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and the Nigerian people, and pray that Allah (SWT) grants him Al-Jannah Firdaus, we must confront a brutal, persistent truth: Nigeria remains a country whose leaders do not die in it.

They rule Nigeria — but die in London.

The Tragedy of Medical Tourism

Since 1999, Nigeria has witnessed an exodus of its leaders and their loved ones to foreign hospitals. We have turned Europe, America, and the Middle East into sanctuaries for the politically privileged. The statistics are jarring:

•  Over 20 top officials and ex-presidents have died abroad since 1999.
•  More than $1 billion is spent annually by Nigerians on medical tourism.
• UK, Saudi Arabia, and Germany have become preferred destinations for end-of-life care of Nigerian statesmen.
• Six First Ladies and Governors have died in foreign hospitals in the past 20 years.

As shown in the infographic above, this macabre trend has turned London, Riyadh, and Frankfurt into quiet footnotes of Nigeria's political obituaries.

But while our leaders check into five-star hospitals abroad, our people die in five-bed wards where light goes out before their lives do.

Buhari: A Paradox of Purpose

Ironically, Muhammadu Buhari himself was no stranger to foreign hospitals. During his presidency, he spent over 200 days receiving medical treatment in the UK. The public was never told the full nature of his ailment. But perhaps more tragic is that nothing fundamentally changed after his return.

Despite being a man of personal discipline and modesty, Buhari — like many before him — presided over a country where the medical infrastructure remained a ghost of its potential. And now, in poetic symmetry, his final breath was taken in a hospital far from Daura, far from the Nigeria he once ruled.

A Nation Bleeding Brains, Building None

Yet here’s the bitter irony: Nigerian doctors are world-class. As of 2024:

•  Over 10,000 Nigerian-trained doctors practice in the UK.
•  Nigerian medical professionals lead surgical teams in the US, Canada, UAE, and Germany.
• Dr. Olurotimi Badero is the only cardio-nephrologist in the world.
•  Dr. Onyema Ogbuagu, a Yale-trained infectious disease expert, was instrumental in COVID- 19 vaccine trials.

So, let’s get this straight: Nigeria has the brains. What we lack is the will — and the working systems.

We Need Six Legacy Hospitals, Not Six Legacy Excuses

President Tinubu has already shown boldness in economic reforms — subsidy removal, FX unification, and the audacious Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway. But Mr. President, it is time to apply the same visionary zeal to health.

Nigeria must build six world-class medical cities — one in each geopolitical zone — fully equipped with:

•  State-of-the-art diagnostics
•  Global-standard training for doctors
•  Incentives for diaspora returnees
• Public-private partnerships

Let this be your enduring legacy, President Tinubu. Not just roads and reforms. But redemption. Let your government be the last one whose officials board a flight to London for a checkup. Let there be Renewed Hope in the healthcare sector in Nigeria.

A Satirical Reminder to Mr. President

Mr. President, with the deepest respect, this is your reminder: You too shall one day take your final breath. The call will come — as it must — when the Most Merciful wills it.

May it not be on a foreign hospital bed with a foreign nurse whispering, “I’m sorry.”

Let history not record that your last breath echoed in Harley Street.

Instead, build a world-class hospital in Lagos. Or Kano. Or even Ilorin. And when the Almighty calls, and I dare say, long after your second term in office, let Nigeria answer, because you have left the legacy.

No More Deaths in Diaspora

To all Nigerian leaders: The time has come to end this shame.

• Let us stop exporting your bodies in sickness.
• Let us stop importing your bodies in caskets (or body bags).
• Let us invest in health at home — not only in hardware but in hope.
•  Let no leader die in exile again — medical or moral.

And to the Nigerian people: Demand this. Loudly. Repeatedly. Consistently. Your silence is part of the illness.

Rest in Peace, Muhammadu Buhari.

We honour your service.

We acknowledge your flaws.

We salute your legacy.

But we must change the story.

Let your death be the last of its kind.

Henry Balogun is the Founder of HB Report, a lawyer, media entrepreneur, and government relations advisor. He served as Chief of Staff, Office of the Deputy Governor of Lagos State (2003–2007) during Tinubu’s governorship and writes on statecraft, governance, and leadership in Africa.