Former President Muhammadu Buhari

Former President Muhammadu Buhari did not own a private residence in London despite spending extended periods in the United Kingdom for medical treatment, his former Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, has revealed.

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television on Tuesday, Adesina dispelled long-standing speculation that Buhari maintained a private property in the UK, clarifying that the late Nigerian leader usually stayed at the Nigerian High Commission during his visits.

“There was a time he was in the High Commission for many months when he went on that eight-month medical vacation,” Adesina recalled. “For about three-quarters of that period, he was in the High Commissioner’s apartment. The High Commissioner even moved to a smaller place so the President could stay in his official residence.”

Adesina explained that Buhari’s continued reliance on UK-based doctors stemmed from long-standing relationships predating his presidency. “Before he became president, he had always done his medicals in London, with the same set of doctors. Those who knew his medical history continued with him instead of starting afresh,” he said.

On the costs of medical treatment and associated expenses, Adesina said Buhari mostly depended on the generosity of his wealthy friends. “I doubt if he paid for those bills himself. President Buhari just needed to call anybody—the Dangotes, the Abdusalamis—and they would oblige. This last trip he made, I know the jets of the person he went in,” he disclosed.

Adesina also addressed previous controversies surrounding the education of Buhari’s children in elite foreign schools. According to him, the former president admitted that the tuition fees were not paid out of his own pocket. “When I asked him about the noise online over the schools his children attended, he told me, ‘I do not know. It’s my friends that pay it.’ He even said I should go and see Modi, his wise brother, who had the details.”

Describing the late president as a man of integrity and goodwill, Adesina said Buhari commanded deep loyalty and unwavering support from those close to him throughout his lifetime. “He was a man of goodwill who enjoyed the confidence of friends willing to support him at all times,” he said.

President Muhammadu Buhari passed away on Sunday, July 13, 2025, in a London hospital after a prolonged illness. He will be buried in Daura on Tuesday, July 15.