The African Action Congress (AAC) has strongly criticized the Nigerian government, led by Bola Tinubu, accusing it of spreading falsehoods and misleading propaganda about the country’s healthcare system.
In a statement released by the party’s Oyo State chairman, Kayode Babayomi, the AAC claimed that the government had been promoting a false narrative on social media, suggesting that foreigners were traveling to Nigeria for quality medical treatment.
However, the party dismissed this claim, pointing to the severe brain drain in the health sector, where over 40,000 Nigerian doctors are practicing abroad, while only about 9,000 remain in the country.
The AAC also highlighted the struggles Nigerians face in accessing healthcare, citing issues such as inadequate medical resources, unreliable electricity supply, and situations where patients are forced to contribute money to buy fuel for hospital generators.
The party wrote: “Recently, we have observed how the federal government of Nigeria has been pushing misleading narratives on social media about the state of the country’s healthcare system, claiming that foreigners are coming to Nigeria for proper medical care. This is nothing but a public relations stunt with mischievous intentions, far from the truth.
“We must question what has caused the brain drain in the health sector. Over 40,000 Nigerian doctors are practicing in the US, UK, and Canada, while we have just 9,000 in Nigeria. According to the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), nine out of ten doctors wish to practice outside of Nigeria. These statistics clearly do not reflect a country with a healthy healthcare system. The shortage of medical practitioners and the lack of basic facilities in our healthcare centers have led many citizens to seek medical care outside Nigeria. There have even been instances where patients ran out of isolation centers during lockdowns due to poor conditions—it is that bad.
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“Accessing healthcare in Nigerian hospitals, especially federal and state facilities, has been a challenge. There are inadequate resources, and hospitals suffer from epileptic power supply, forcing patients to contribute to buying fuel. The individuals promoting this false PR probably never utilize these hospitals for their own healthcare needs. The president seems to always be on the next available flight to France or the UK for even minor headache.
“A government that spends billions on luxury goods and vehicles rather than investing in the healthcare sector should not be taken seriously.
Healthcare and education are consistently underfunded in this country, neglected in favor of their luxurious lifestyle. The Tinubu and Shettima-led APC government should cease these misleading PR efforts and focus on real work.
“We live in a country where people prefer to seek care at private hospitals rather than government institutions.
“The federal government should establish more affordable hospitals at both local and federal levels, while state governments should prioritize healthcare systems and education over building projects that do not benefit the populace, such as the bridge in Ekiti promoted by Fayose, which is rarely used. Local and state governments should focus on projects that impact the lives of citizens rather than those that create opportunities for misappropriation of public funds.
“Nigerians are becoming increasingly aware of these issues, and the end of such practices is near, as people are ready to show the current administration the way out of office come 2027.”
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