Abuja, Nigeria – A member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Amobi Ogah, has expressed deep concern over the continuous reliance of Nigerian leaders on foreign medical and educational services, describing it as a national embarrassment.
Speaking during a televised interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, Ogah backed a proposed bill seeking to ban public and civil servants from patronising private schools and healthcare facilities, both within and outside the country.
The lawmaker lamented the state of Nigeria’s public institutions, stressing that the elite’s preference for foreign services highlights a systemic failure that must be urgently addressed.
“You are aware that a few weeks ago, or days ago, our former president was flown into the country as cargo,” Ogah said, referring to reports of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s body being brought back to Nigeria after his reported death at a high-end London clinic.
“Is it not a shame that, at each point in time, our big men travel abroad for medical treatment? Are we not ashamed of this? This shouldn’t be the norm,” he added.
Ogah argued that the failure of the political class to invest in and use public institutions reflects a gross loss of public trust and a neglect of national priorities. According to him, revitalising education and healthcare is central to the country’s development.
“If you get education right, get health right, then there is hope for our future. But if we fail to fix these systems and continue this cycle of abandonment, then we are not moving forward,” he stated.
The proposed bill is currently under consideration and, if passed, will compel public office holders and civil servants to rely solely on public schools and healthcare services, in a move aimed at forcing reforms through firsthand accountability.
Observers say the bill could trigger long-overdue improvements in public services, provided it is enforced with political will and transparency.
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