Nigerians are yet to come to terms on why President Muhammadu Buhari has continued to travel outside the country for medical check up. Since Buhari became Nigeria’s President, he has traveled countless number of times to the UK for medical check up. Although there are hospitals which are under his supervision in the country, Buhari has continuously traveled to the UK for whatever medical attention he needed.
Just last weekend, President Buhari again, jetted out of the country to London for another round of medical check up. This is despite the number of public and private hospitals in the country. One can also imagine the quantum of public funds that would have gone into the trip to the United Kingdom. Besides the trip funding, the treatment cost and other allowances for presidential staff that will be on his entourage are issues calling for attention
Reports from London have shown Nigerians protesting heavily against Buhari’s regular trsvels to the UK for the medical attention with Nigerian tax payers money. Angry Nigerians in London have protested against Buhari, saying he should develop Nigerian hospitals to compete with those in London. The anger of Nigerians is coming on the ground that hospitals under Buhari’s supervision are wasting away, but Buhari takes solace in flying to London for regular medical check up.
Some Nigerians have asked how many times have the presidents of the United Kingdom, United States of America, Canada, Russia, Italy or Mexico flown to Nigeria for treatment. But Buhari takes delight flying to London for every minor check up. This is the pain of Nigerians.
But at this time that Buhari is in London on medical ground, Nigerian doctors in public hospitals are on strike. There have been issues in the system which are calling for him to address but he has consistently failed to do so. Now that he is in the UK and Nigerian doctors have downed tools, what becomes the fate of Nigerians who do not have the means of flying outside the country as he has done?
Over the years, Nigerian medical professionals have called for upgrade of the health system but Nigerian government has paid deaf ears to the plea of the medical professionals. The facilities in the UK hospitals which are appealing to the president can also be in Nigerian hospitals, thus ending years of medical tourism outside the country. But for now, the doctors have downed tools, Buhari is in London enjoying health facilities put in place by a president like him.
Also, the Nigerian judiciary is on lockdown. Executive of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) were said to have chased judges and other lawyers out of a particular court in Lagos, calling for compliance with the strike action embarked upon by members of the union. The judiciary is also having unresolved issues with the government of President Muhammadu Buhari in Nigeria.
Again, the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (,ASUP) has also shutdown all polytechnics and monotechnics in the country, citing failure of the federal and some state governments to meet long time agreement with the body. The ASUP members embarked on the strike on Tuesday, April 6, 2021. President of the ASUP, Anderson Ezeibe, says the strike remains indefinite until the federal government grants the need of ASUP.
State Houses of Assembly have been shut down for over a week by executives of Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN). For almost two weeks, state houses of assembly could not sit for their deliberations. It is a show of the failure of government in Nigeria.
In the midst of all these, President Muhammadu Buhari is receiving treatment in another country, undermining the decay in the nation’s critical sectors. Nigeria is yet to get a saviour. Buhari came into power in 2015 with a promise to change the system but very unfortunately, the system is getting worse by the day.
