Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, has pledged to overhaul Nigeria's healthcare system and make it compulsory for political office holders to seek medical treatment within the country if elected president in 2027, vowing that he would spend his holidays in Nigeria rather than travelling abroad to demonstrate confidence in the nation's institutions and local businesses.
Obi made the declarations on Thursday evening in Asaba, Delta State, during the inauguration of the NDC secretariat in the state. The former Anambra State governor, while lamenting the state of the nation's healthcare system, said his administration would invest in making healthcare facilities functional and capable of providing quality services to Nigerians. According to him, political leaders should not continue to patronise foreign hospitals while public healthcare facilities in Nigeria remain underdeveloped. "We will ensure that those of them who are in power must seek medical care here. Anybody that will go abroad will be for referral," Obi said. He promised that his administration would fix the healthcare system and ensure that Nigerians have access to quality and affordable medical services within the country.
Obi also criticised what he described as the frequent absence of political leaders from Nigeria, particularly foreign travels by public office holders. Referring to President Bola Tinubu's extended working vacation in France, Obi said: "Today, our President is in France. He went for three weeks and he has spent more than three weeks. He is in France and people are dying in Nigeria". He added: "As President of Nigeria, all my holidays will be in Nigeria. I will go to Agbor for holiday; I will go to Warri for holidays, not France". The NDC candidate said the decision would be part of a broader effort to demonstrate confidence in Nigeria's economy, institutions and local businesses.
The pledge to end medical tourism by public officials is not a new position for Obi. He has consistently argued that Nigeria cannot afford leadership defined by medical tourism, long holidays and absenteeism caused by age-related ailments, and has called for the development of a healthcare system capable of serving both citizens and public officials. His proposals align with broader debates about the state of Nigeria's health sector, which has faced decades of underfunding, brain drain and infrastructure deficits.
The context of Obi's remarks is the extended absence of President Tinubu, who left Nigeria on August 30 for what the Presidency described as a three-week working vacation, initially in London before moving to Paris. The 21-day period expired around September 20, and the Presidency announced on Monday that the President had extended his stay by a few days and would return to Nigeria at the weekend. The extension coincided with Vice President Kashim Shettima's travel to New York for the 81st United Nations General Assembly, creating a situation in which both the President and Vice President were outside the country simultaneously. The development prompted constitutional questions from opposition figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who demanded clarity on who was exercising presidential authority. The Presidency and Senate President Godswill Akpabio have rejected the criticism, insisting that Tinubu remains fully in charge of the country's affairs and that his powers are not limited by geography.
Obi also placed the Niger Delta at the centre of his campaign message, promising a fundamental change in the way the region's natural resources are managed and the benefits distributed. He lamented what he described as the persistent neglect of the region despite its enormous contribution to Nigeria's revenue through oil and gas production. "One thing that I can assure you is that the days you don't see the impact of your wealth is gone. Niger Delta must see the impact of the wealth it is creating for the nation," he said. According to him, the region's contribution to the Nigerian economy should translate into visible infrastructure, improved social services, employment opportunities and better living conditions for its people. Obi particularly decried the condition of the East-West Road and other federal roads across the oil-producing region, arguing that the situation was inconsistent with the economic importance of the Niger Delta. "You cannot pass anywhere in the Niger Delta, yet they are producing the wealth the country share every month," he said.
The NDC candidate also promised greater transparency and accountability in the management of public resources, insisting that Nigerians would be informed about how government revenue was being spent. "We will ensure that this will change and it will change by the way we manage the resources; it will change because we are going to be transparent. We will tell you where every penny is going to," he said. His remarks on transparency echo his broader campaign message of accountability and prudent management of public funds, themes that have defined his political career since his tenure as governor of Anambra State from 2006 to 2014.
Obi's pledge to end medical tourism by public officials touches on one of the most sensitive issues in Nigerian healthcare. The country loses an estimated one billion dollars annually to outbound medical tourism, according to the World Health Organisation's Africa Health Observatory Platform, while the Federal Ministry of Health has said Nigeria could retain approximately N850 billion spent abroad on medical treatment each year. The practice of Nigerian leaders travelling abroad for medical care has long been a source of public anger, particularly given the poor state of many public hospitals. Obi's proposal would require political office holders to seek treatment in Nigeria except where overseas care is recommended through a formal referral process, a policy that would represent a significant shift in how the country's elite interacts with the domestic health system.
The health sector has been a central focus of the 2027 campaign, with candidates across the political spectrum proposing different approaches to improving access and quality. President Tinubu's administration has pointed to the Nigeria Education Loan Fund and other social investment programmes as evidence of its commitment to human capital development, while the Federal Government has recently celebrated the country's first tele-robotic surgery as a milestone that could reduce medical tourism. In September 2026, a team led by Professor Obi Ekwenna-Davis performed West Africa's first remote robotic kidney surgery, with the patient in Abuja and the surgeon operating from Ogun State, a development that health experts said could help reduce the need for Nigerians to travel abroad for complex procedures.
Obi's latest pledge adds to a series of promises he has made in recent weeks as his campaign intensifies. He has said he would never spend holidays abroad if elected, promising to use such opportunities to visit parts of the country facing security challenges, including Zamfara, Borno, Kano, Oyo and Ondo. He has also pledged that anyone found importing hard drugs into Nigeria would face life imprisonment if he wins the 2027 presidential election. His campaign has focused on the cost of living, security, healthcare and economic opportunity, with the NDC presenting itself as an alternative to the ruling All Progressives Congress and the African Democratic Congress.
The 2027 general elections are scheduled for January 16, with the presidential and National Assembly elections holding on that date, followed by the governorship and state assembly elections on February 6. Obi is seeking the presidency on the platform of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, with Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso as his running mate. President Tinubu is seeking a second term on the APC platform, while former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is contesting on the ADC ticket. As the campaign enters its final months, the debate over medical tourism, public holidays and the presence of leaders in the country is likely to remain a central issue, with Obi positioning himself as the candidate who will lead by example.
For the millions of Nigerians who depend on the country's underfunded public health system, the promise to end medical tourism by public officials is both a challenge to the political elite and a test of whether the next administration can deliver the kind of healthcare system that would make such a policy sustainable. Whether Obi's pledge translates into tangible action if elected remains to be seen, but the message from Asaba was unambiguous: under his watch, Nigeria's leaders will be expected to trust the same hospitals they ask ordinary citizens to rely on.
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