Buhari had no private London residence — Femi Adesina

|By Adejumo Adekunle-

-Former spokesman says ex-president stayed at Nigerian High Commission
-Reveals Buhari’s long-standing ties with UK doctors and reliance on friends for medical expenses

Femi Adesina, former Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, has dismissed claims that his principal owned a private residence in London during his presidency.

Adesina made the clarification on Tuesday while speaking during a programme on Channels Television.

He stressed that although Buhari regularly traveled to the United Kingdom for medical treatment, he never acquired a personal property there.

“He didn’t have a house in London,” Adesina said, debunking long-standing public assumptions. “There was a time he was in the High Commission for many months when he went on that eight-month medical vacation.”

According to Adesina, the former president had built a longstanding relationship with his medical team in the UK long before he assumed office, which explained his preference for receiving treatment there.

He further revealed that Buhari stayed at the Nigerian High Commission throughout his medical visits, maintaining that the trips were not financed through extravagant means.

“He depended largely on the goodwill of his friends,” Adesina said, in reference to the funding of Buhari’s personal upkeep and healthcare abroad.

His comments come amid growing scrutiny over public officials’ medical tourism and concerns about transparency in public spending.