Nigerians under the platform of the Global Coalition for Security and Democracy in Nigeria on Thursday in the United Kingdom protested at the Abuja House in London over the visit by President Muhammadu Buhari for alleged medical treatment.
The protesters led by Gabriel Agbontaen, demanded that President Buhari should return home and fix Nigerian hospitals instead of seeking medical treatment abroad and planning for the importation of foreign medical Doctors.
They highlighted the insecurity and lack of basic amenities in Nigeria while Nigerian politicians continued to travel abroad to enjoy facilities provided by the politicians of other countries.
The protesters queried why President Buhari continued to patronise foreign services when foreign products such as rice had been banned by his government.
Chief of Staff to President Buhari, Abba Kyari, on Monday travelled to London to meet with his boss to sign the amended bill of the Deep Offshore (and Inland Basin Production Sharing Contract) Act which was recently passed into law by the National Assembly.
In the course of his 2015 electoral campaign, President Buhari promised Nigerians that he will not seek medical treatment abroad.
He recently banned ministers from unjustifiable international trips.
Since his assumption in office, he had spent almost 200 days out of office for medical tourism.
The protesters argued that since Buhari’s visit was private, he ought to privately incur the financial cost of his visits.
About N10bn had been budgeted for the Aso Rock Clinic since Buhari assumed office in 2015, yet Aisha Buhari complained in 2017 that there was no syringe in the clinic.
Though no government official came out of the Abuja House to address the protesters, who were there for over two hours, some persons were seen filming the demonstrators from inside the facility.
The British police were there to ensure that the protest remained peaceful.