More than a year after the commissioning of the N21 billion State House Presidential/VIP Wing Medical Centre in Abuja, the facility sits largely unused, a monument to Nigeria’s deepening paradox where billion-naira investments in public infrastructure are routinely abandoned, and top political figures continue to flock abroad for medical treatment.
The hospital, meant to cater specifically to the President, Vice President, their families, and other high-ranking government officials, is now at the heart of a national outrage, with mounting pressure on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima to lead by example and patronise the clinic they preside over.
Despite its ultra-modern diagnostic equipment, specialist consultation rooms, operating theatres, and even a healing garden, sources within the presidency comfirmed that the medical facility has remained grossly underutilised, with not even a single visit from the President or Vice President since their assumption of office in May 2023.
Now, rumblings within the corridors of power suggest a move to privatise the hospital, a decision that could fundamentally undermine its original intent of curbing costly medical tourism by offering high-quality care within Nigeria.
A Legacy Abandoned
Commissioned in May 2023 under former President Muhammadu Buhari, the VIP Wing of the State House Clinic was touted as a “legacy project,” with former State House Permanent Secretary Tijjani Umar calling it “transformative.” The project was part of a larger healthcare infrastructure overhaul which included a certified Biosafety Level 2 Molecular Lab and a Dental Wing Extension.
The Presidential Clinic sprawls across 2,485 square meters and boasts cutting-edge facilities: five specialist rooms covering cardiology, ENT, respiratory, ophthalmology, and general medicine; MRI and CT scan suites; two operating theatres; and a catheterisation lab. It was supposed to be a model of excellence a signal to Nigerians that their leaders were finally willing to invest in, and trust, local medical expertise.
Yet, 14 months after the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the hospital remains eerily quiet.
“This is not just a white elephant project. It is a damning indictment of our leadership priorities,” said Dr. Benjamin Olowojebutu, first vice president of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), during a recent interview on Arise Television. “We lose $7 billion annually to medical tourism. Meanwhile, a N21 billion hospital built with taxpayers’ money is wasting away.”
Nigeria Health Times learnt that talks are underway to hand over the hospital to private investors. While details remain hazy, insiders cite low utilisation and high operating costs as reasons for the proposed change.
The Presidency has remained tight-lipped. Repeated efforts to get comments from Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to the President, were met with silence.
Privatisation Rumours/ Presidential Silence
Healthcare analysts and civil society groups warn that privatising the clinic would not only defeat the purpose of the investment but could erode public trust further in a country where access to quality healthcare remains a luxury.
Buhari’s Death in London: A National Shame
The recent death of former President Muhammadu Buhari in a London hospital has reignited bitter debates about Nigeria’s failing healthcare system and its leaders’ enduring reliance on foreign hospitals.
During a funeral broadcast, Buhari’s former media aide, Femi Adesina, sparked outrage by suggesting that the former President might have died earlier had he relied on Nigerian hospitals. “If he had subjected himself to some of our hospitals, maybe he would have been long gone,” Adesina said.
His remarks were widely condemned as insensitive and reflective of the elite’s deep-seated disdain for the very system they are charged to improve.
“This kind of thinking exposes the rot in our leadership,” said Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, former president of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN). “We budget heavily for healthcare, but nothing works. It’s all promises, no delivery. If our leaders had confidence in their own investments, they wouldn’t be dying in foreign hospitals.”
A Pattern of Medical Evasion
This is not new. In 2016, President Buhari flew to London for an ear infection, despite Nigeria housing over 250 ENT specialists and a National Ear Centre. At the time, Dr. Osahon Enabulele, then VP of the Commonwealth Medical Association, criticised the trip as hypocritical, especially since Buhari had recently promised to curtail medical tourism.
Ironically, that promise, like many others, was never fulfilled. Buhari continued to frequent London hospitals throughout his presidency, fueling public resentment. The pattern has persisted: Tinubu is now often reported in France for medical reasons.
“The Nigerian presidency has become a revolving door to foreign hospitals,” lamented Dr. Casmir Ifeanyi, president of the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (AMLSN). “It’s a betrayal of public trust. The so-called ‘world-class’ clinics built by politicians are nothing but empty structures.”
NMA, AMLSN Demand Legislative Action
The Nigerian Medical Association, AMLSN, and PSN have called for strict legislation to restrict government-funded medical trips, except when such treatment is unavailable locally and recommended by certified Nigerian professionals.
“If we don’t legislate this now, nothing will change,” said Dr. Ifeanyi. “We must ban medical tourism for government officials for the next 10 to 15 years. Let them experience the system they created.”
Dr. Olowojebutu agrees. “It’s time to stop this medical escapism. Health is not a privilege — it’s a right. But in Nigeria today, health is only for the elite who can hop on a plane.”
A Broken System, a Hopeless People?
Beyond Abuja, the rot is just as profound. In Akwa Ibom, Dr. Aniekan Peter of the state NMA chapter says public hospitals are death traps.
“Even as doctors earn peanuts, the government has the audacity to send some abroad to earn more than 10 times their salary in a foreign country. It’s exploitation.”
In Abia, Dr. Philip Ijendu believes fixing the system is not rocket science. “Equip hospitals, pay doctors, and keep upgrading. That’s all. But there’s no will.”
Meanwhile, Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, blames the healthcare decay on leadership failure. During a recent visit to UNTH Ituku-Ozala, he expressed shock at the poor conditions and promised personal and collective support.
“This is part of the problem,” said a gynaecologist in Umuahia who spoke anonymously. “They want Nigerians to remain weak, uneducated, and sick so that we cannot challenge them.”
Civil Society Outrage and Public Accountability
The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) described the trend of medical tourism among Nigeria’s elite as a “national shame.” Its executive director, Auwal Rafsanjani, said it reflects systemic failure and disregard for citizens.
“If our leaders had built just one national hospital in every zone, we wouldn’t be in this mess. Instead, they prefer to outsource healthcare with billions of naira while our hospitals run out of syringes,” he said.
The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) echoed similar sentiments, noting that even the minimal allocations in health budgets are rarely released, leading to the collapse of the system.
Where Does This End?
With Nigeria losing $7 billion annually to medical tourism, the continued neglect of local hospitals, including the underused N21 billion State House Clinic, is not just wasteful; it is scandalous.
The Senate’s silence, the Presidency’s nonchalance, and the absence of accountability have left many wondering if there will ever be a real shift.
Will President Tinubu and Vice President Shettima break the jinx and use the hospital built for them, or will the Presidential Clinic join the growing list of white elephant projects?
More importantly, will the Nigerian people, fatigued by decades of broken promises, demand, and receive, the healthcare system they deserve?
Until then, the State House Clinic remains a billion-naira symbol of everything wrong with Nigerian governance: a grand edifice, empty of purpose, abandoned by those it was built to serve.