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Former Nigerian Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, has become the subject of public debate after an Indian hospital featured him in promotional material following his knee replacement surgery.
Abubakar underwent total knee replacement at Krishna Shalby Hospital in Ahmedabad, India, where footage of his treatment and recovery was used in promotional content shared by the facility.
The hospital, which specialises in joint replacement and other orthopaedic procedures, has an international patient service and promotes its treatment of patients from different countries.
The promotional material has attracted reactions from Nigerians, with the development renewing discussion about medical tourism and the state of Nigeria’s healthcare system.
Activist and 2027 presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore was among those who criticised the development after sharing the promotional footage.
“This is former Nigerian Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, being used in a hospital advert after undergoing knee replacement surgery in India,” Sowore said.
He questioned why Nigerian leaders who had opportunities to influence the country’s healthcare system while in office still seek specialised treatment abroad.
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“These so-called ‘experienced leaders’ had every opportunity while in power to build first-class healthcare facilities in Nigeria,” Sowore said.
“Yet, in old age, they travel abroad for the very medical care they failed to make adequately available at home and can even end up as advertisements for foreign hospitals,” he added.
Sowore also referred to President Bola Tinubu, saying, “At this rate, perhaps one day a hospital in France will be using a Nigerian president, Tinubu for its adverts.”
He concluded by describing the situation as “a tragic indictment of decades of failed leadership and neglect of Nigeria’s healthcare system.”
Lawyer Aloy Ejimakor also questioned the use of Abubakar’s image in the hospital’s promotional material, describing the development as a matter worthy of public scrutiny.
However, the controversy has also generated a broader discussion about why Nigerians, including prominent public figures, seek specialised medical care outside the country.
The circumstances surrounding the use of Abubakar’s treatment in the promotional material have also attracted attention, including questions over the consent arrangements for using a patient’s image for healthcare marketing.
