Human rights’ activist, Omoyele Sowore, has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of using Nigeria as a loan collateral for his medical treatment bills.
According to Sowore, loans taken by Buhari were used for his medical trips and not on roads.
Sharing a Twitter post by PucciStucci calling the attention of the Nigerian government to the bad state of Benin city/Sapele Road, Sowore wrote, “Adopted! @MBuhari borrows daily for his medical trips, not to fix roads. Using Nigeria as collateral for his medical treatment bills. Aluta contiua! You have our support. #revolution #RevolutionNow.”
Since he assumed office on May 29, 2015, Buhari has embarked on medical trips abroad at least five times, covering a period of no fewer than 160 days of the six years he has been in power.
The following is a timeline of the President’s trips for medical treatment; between February 5 and 10, 2016, the President took a six-day vacation in the United Kingdom, saying that his doctors lived in England.
Between June 6 and 19, 2016, Buhari went on a 10-day medical trip to England for an ear infection surgery. He extended his trip by three days to rest.
On January 19, 2017, the President was back in London again on a medical vacation.
On February 5, 2017, he wrote to the National Assembly, seeking an extension of his London medical leave. Later on March 10, 2017, Buhari returned to Nigeria but didn’t resume work immediately at Aso Villa.
The Presidency had claimed that “he was working from home.”
On May 7, 2017, Buhari embarked on a trip to London for another medical vacation. He returned after 104 days – the longest he had stayed outside the country.
On August 19, 2017, Buhari returned to Nigeria, and it took him a while to resume work because rats had purportedly damaged furniture in his office.
The Presidency, therefore, announced that he would be working from home.
On May 8, 2018, Buhari went to London for a four-day “medical review.”
On April 26, 2019, Buhari again left for the UK on a 10-day private visit to seek medical care. He came back to the country on May 5.
Also, from March 30 to April 6, 2021, the President embarked on another trip for a routine medical check-up in London.
Buhari also stayed back in London to see his doctors after attending the Global Education Summit on Financing Global Partnership for Education (GPE 2021-2025), which held on July 29.