Nigerians have criticised an Indian hospital for using former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, in promotional material after he underwent knee replacement surgery there, reviving debate over Nigeria’s dependence on foreign healthcare.
Krishna Shalby Hospital in Ahmedabad featured images and video of Abubakar receiving treatment and undergoing rehabilitation in an online campaign promoting its orthopaedic and international-patient services.
The hospital described his treatment as a “milestone in international care” and used the footage to showcase its expertise in knee replacement and care for patients travelling from abroad.
The promotional material also featured Vice-President Kashim Shettima, who visited the hospital and met its management over Abubakar’s progress. Shalby said the visit demonstrated the “growing trust” in Indian healthcare and its commitment to treating international patients.
The use of the former Nigerian leader’s treatment for promotional purposes has triggered a wave of reactions online, with critics linking the episode to longstanding concerns over the condition of Nigeria’s healthcare system and the country’s political elite’s reliance on medical treatment abroad.
Activist and African Action Congress presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore shared the hospital’s promotional video on X and questioned why Nigerian leaders who had held power and opportunities to influence the country’s healthcare system continued to seek specialised treatment overseas.
Lawyer Aloy Ejimakor also questioned the development, while other Nigerians described the advert as embarrassing and symptomatic of wider failures in the country’s health sector.
The controversy has also raised questions about the circumstances under which Abubakar’s treatment and recovery footage was released for commercial purposes. It is not clear from the hospital’s public posts whether the former Head of State specifically consented to the use of the material as advertising.
The hospital, however, has openly presented the case as part of its international-patient business. Shalby says its wider network treats patients from different countries and specialises in orthopaedics and joint replacement.
Abubakar’s overseas treatment is not entirely new. In 2022, he cancelled his 80th birthday celebrations after suffering a swollen knee and told an online newspaper that his doctors had advised him to seek further specialist care abroad.
The episode has nevertheless reopened the larger argument over Nigeria’s medical-tourism bill.
In April 2025, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare Muhammad Ali Pate said Nigeria loses an estimated $2 billion annually to medical tourism, attributing the trend partly to gaps in confidence, access and quality within the local healthcare system.
The Nigerian Medical Association repeated the roughly $2 billion annual estimate in November 2025, arguing that more investment is needed to retain medical professionals and expand access to specialised treatment locally.
The latest controversy therefore extends beyond one hospital advert: it has placed renewed attention on the contrast between Nigeria’s longstanding expenditure on overseas medical care and efforts to develop specialised healthcare facilities at home.