Renowned human rights lawyer and public affairs analyst, Chidi Odinkalu, has called on Nigerian leaders to prioritize the development of the country’s healthcare system, warning that reliance on foreign medical facilities often ends in a symbolic return—”as cargo.”
Odinkalu made this remark on Sunday while reflecting on the reported death of former President Muhammadu Buhari, who passed away in a London hospital after a prolonged illness.
“Leaders who constantly seek medical help abroad should remember: when they pass on, they return home not as citizens but as freight,” Odinkalu noted. “They don’t go through immigration. Their bodies are cleared by customs. If this isn’t the legacy you want, then build a hospital that can serve you and your people.”
He also drew attention to the handling of mass casualties under previous administrations, citing the December 2015 Zaria incident involving members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria.
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“I also remember the many Shiites killed during the Zaria massacre, including the sons of Sheikh El-Zakzaky. Their bodies were transported in dozens of trucks and buried in mass graves in Kaduna,” he recalled.
Odinkalu’s comments come at a time of renewed debate on the quality of governance and the consequences of systemic neglect in Nigeria’s public health institutions.
