Former presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, has admitted that late ex-President Muhammadu Buhari’s survival was dependent on his choice to ignore Nigeria’s healthcare system and continue his medical care in London throughout his presidency.

Adesina, who served as Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to Buhari during his eight-year tenure, made the startling admission during an interview on Channels TV, which SaharaReporters monitored on Tuesday morning.

According to Adesina, Buhari’s frequent medical trips abroad were not just a matter of personal preference but a decision that ultimately preserved his life.

He said Nigeria lacked the necessary medical expertise to treat the former president.

“He always had his medical in London even when he was not in office. So it was not about the time he was President alone. He has always had it in London,” Adesina said.

Justifying Buhari’s refusal to patronise Nigerian hospitals despite being the leader of the country, Adesina claimed it was necessary for Buhari to stay alive first before he could attempt to fix the nation’s healthcare system, a system he openly avoided.

“And then you have to be alive first, to get certain things corrected in your country. If he had said I would do my medicals in Nigeria just as a show-off or something, he could have long been dead. Because there may not be the experts needed in the country,” he declared.

“But he needed to be alive to be able to lead the country to a point where we would have that expertise. So those who gullibly talk about going abroad don’t know that a man needs to be alive,” Adesina added.

The remains of former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday morning departed London for Daura, Katsina State, ahead of his state burial.

The late president’s body was flown aboard a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) aircraft, accompanied by Vice President Kashim Shettima, Chief of Staff to the President Femi Gbajabiamila, and other senior government officials.

Bashir Ahmad, a former aide to Buhari, confirmed this on Tuesday morning via his X (formerly Twitter) handle.

Buhari died on Sunday, July 13, 2025, at about 4:30 pm in a London hospital after a prolonged illness. However, details of the illness were not made public.

In honour of the former leader, the Federal Government has declared Tuesday, July 15, 2025, a public holiday to allow for the state burial ceremony in his hometown of Daura, a quiet agrarian community in Katsina State.

Buhari, admired in some quarters for his signature upright posture, hailed from Daura in Nigeria’s North-West region. He previously served as Nigeria’s military head of state from January 1984 until August 1985.

The Nigerian government had also declared Tuesday, July 15, 2025, a public holiday in honour of the late Buhari.

SaharaReporters had earlier reported that the remains of the former military dictator-turned-democratic leader would no longer arrive in Nigeria on Monday as initially scheduled, forcing a shift in the burial arrangements.

Ahmad confirmed on Monday via his X (formerly Twitter) handle that the late President’s body is now expected to arrive in Katsina at noon on Tuesday, with burial rites scheduled for 2pm in his hometown of Daura, Katsina State.

“The body of the late President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to arrive in Katsina at 12:00 noon tomorrow(Tuesday), with funeral according to Islamic rites scheduled to take place in his hometown of Daura by 2:00 PM on the same day,” Ahmad wrote.

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