First Lady Aisha Buhari has said Nigerian presidents do not need to seek medical treatment abroad anymore.
She said this after President Muhammadu Buhari commissioned the new N21 billion Presidential/VIP Wing of the State House Medical Center, located within the precincts of Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Speaking to State House reporters after the President had caught the tape and concluded a guided tour of the facility, the First Lady Aisha Buhari said the facility would stop the need for the president and his family members to go abroad for medical treatment.
Mrs Aisha Buhari said she bought the idea of executing the project six years ago, following the extensive stay of her husband abroad for medical treatment.
She said now that the facility is in place, Nigerian Presidents and their family members will no longer need to go abroad for treatment but may only fly medical experts to assist their colleagues in the country.
When asked about her impression of the new medical center, Mrs Buhari said: “I’m quite happy, feeling fulfilled. Though we are leaving but all the same, we thank God the project has come to reality.
“I opted for it six years go. I initiated this project six years ago when my husband spent three months abroad, consecutively, 90 days, and it shouldn’t be because we have all the experts in Nigeria. We only need a good platform.
“The hospital that is supposed to serve the First Family is serving like 35,000 people, which is quite much.
“That’s why I insisted we should have a VIP Wing within the proximity of the presidential villa”, she said.
On whether the medical centre will now make it unnecessary for Nigerian leaders to go abroad for treatment, she responded: “Yes. This one is for the health and wellness of the First Family. They don’t need to go abroad now. They only need to may be fly in experts to help our people. You know. So, no need for any leader to spend months and months abroad because of health care.”