Sowore Slams Top Nigerian Ex-Head Of State Used In Hospital Advert In India After Undergoing Knee Surgery
Sowore Slams Top Nigerian Ex-Head Of State Used In Hospital Advert In India After Undergoing Knee Surgery
In a statement on Tuesday, Sowore stated that Abubakar was being featured in an advertisement by the Indian hospital where he received treatment.
The presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) and fiery human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, has criticised former Nigerian Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, over his decision to undergo knee replacement surgery in India.
Sowore’s comments followed the emergence of a video online showing the former military ruler in India, where he reportedly travelled to undergo knee replacement surgery.
In a statement on Tuesday, Sowore stated that Abubakar was being featured in an advertisement by the Indian hospital where he received treatment.
“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.
The AAC presidential candidate questioned the failure of successive Nigerian leaders to develop healthcare facilities capable of providing advanced medical treatment within the country.
“These so-called ‘experienced leaders’ had every opportunity while in power to build first-class healthcare facilities in Nigeria,” he 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.”
This is former Nigerian Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, being used in a hospital advert after undergoing knee replacement surgery in India.
These so-called “experienced leaders” had every opportunity while in power to build first-class healthcare facilities in… pic.twitter.com/MxJ4Russsj
— Omoyele Sowore (@sowore) September 29, 2026
Sowore, who has been critical of Nigeria’s political leadership and the country’s healthcare system, also drew a comparison with President Bola Tinubu.
“At this rate, perhaps one day a hospital in France will be using a Nigerian president, Tinubu, for its adverts,” he said.
He described the situation as a reflection of decades of poor leadership and neglect of Nigeria’s healthcare sector.
“What a tragic indictment of decades of failed leadership and neglect of Nigeria’s healthcare system,” Sowore added.
Abubakar, who served as Nigeria’s military Head of State from 1998 to 1999, handed over power to an elected civilian government led by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in May 1999, marking the return to democratic rule after years of military government.
The emergence of the video showing Abubakar receiving medical treatment in India has also generated public debate over the continued reliance of Nigeria’s political elite on foreign medical facilities, despite successive government promises to improve the country’s healthcare infrastructure.
The criticism comes amid longstanding concerns over medical tourism by Nigerians, including political leaders and public officials, who frequently seek specialised treatment abroad.
https://x.com/sowore/status/2105050502987993176?s=20
SaharaReporters also reported that Sowore criticised President Bola Tinubu’s return to Nigeria after a 28-day stay abroad, accusing successive administrations of using the country as a “health insurance” destination for presidents.
Sowore made the remarks in a post on his X account on Tuesday evening, shortly after Tinubu returned to Nigeria from France.
He drew parallels between Tinubu’s administration and the governments of former Presidents Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Muhammadu Buhari, alleging that similar patterns had been repeated under the three administrations.
“We’ve been here before: Nigeria is repeatedly used as health insurance for sickly and worn-out presidents, who are then packaged and presented to the public in stages airport ceremonies while the same failed performances are repeated and the country is further destroyed,” Sowore wrote.
“The same actors during the Umaru Yar’Adua and Muhammadu Buhari administrations and now Tinubu @officialABAT.”
He added: “No shame, no regrets and they want you to move on as though nothing is wrong.”
Sowore’s comments came after Tinubu returned to Nigeria following a 28-day stay in Europe, which the Presidency described as a working vacation.
The President’s aircraft landed at the Presidential Wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos at about 6:20pm on Tuesday.
