Former Nigerian head of state General Abdulsalami Abubakar has become the focus of public discussion after an Indian hospital used footage of his knee replacement surgery in promotional material.
Abubakar underwent total knee replacement at Krishna Shalby Hospital in Ahmedabad, India. The facility, which specialises in joint replacements and other orthopaedic procedures and caters to international patients, shared video of his treatment and recovery in an advertisement.
The development has drawn reactions in Nigeria, renewing debate over medical tourism and the condition of the country’s healthcare system.
Activist and 2027 presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore was among those who criticised the hospital’s use of the former leader’s image. “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 the chance to improve domestic healthcare while in office continue to seek specialised treatment abroad. “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.”
Sowore also referred to President Bola Tinubu, adding: “At this rate, perhaps one day a hospital in France will be using a Nigerian president, Tinubu for its adverts.” He described the situation as “a tragic indictment of decades of failed leadership and neglect of Nigeria’s healthcare system.”
Lawyer Aloy Ejimakor also raised questions about the use of Abubakar’s image in the promotional material, calling it a matter deserving public scrutiny.
The episode has prompted wider discussion about why many Nigerians, including prominent figures, travel overseas for specialised medical care, as well as questions surrounding patient consent for the use of treatment footage in hospital marketing.
