By Johnbosco Agbakwuru, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu on Friday urged Nigerian medical doctors and other healthcare professionals in the diaspora to return home and lend their expertise to the ongoing transformation of the nation’s healthcare sector under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
President Tinubu stated this when he received a delegation of Nigerian Diaspora Medical Associations Worldwide led by the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, as part of the 2026 National Diaspora Day Celebration at the State House, Abuja.
The event had in attendance the minister of information and national orientation Alhaji Mohammed Idris Malagi; the minister of state for health Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako; the special adviser to the president on media and public communications Chief Sunday Dare; the special adviser to the president on health Dr Salma Ibrahim Anas; and the senior special assistant to the president on women’s health Dr Adanna Steinacker.
The president acknowledged that Nigeria needs the knowledge, innovation, experience and patriotism of its highly skilled professionals abroad to build a resilient and world-class healthcare system for all citizens.
“It is a very great joy to see that you are coming back to facilitate your single motivation to help your country meet the needs of our people, the medical outreaches; seeing indivisible commitment to humanity is part of your singular oath and commitment in life. I thank all of you.
“I have been through that journey; I’m home now, and I can tell you there’s nowhere like home. Some people built the society where you are; they had their hands on their plough, and their focus was to develop their nation and their continent.”
The President recounted how he came to Nigeria after his experiences with Deloitte and Touche and working with Mobil (a company) and eventually came to Nigeria to contribute his quota to nation-building.
He reaffirmed that the Renewed Hope Agenda places healthcare at the centre of national development, stressing that the federal government is implementing far-reaching reforms to strengthen primary healthcare, expand access to quality medical services and encourage greater collaboration with Nigerian professionals in the diaspora. He said this would be achieved through sustained investments in medical education, research, digital health infrastructure, improved welfare and policies to reverse the trend of brain drain.
“So many of you have seen the hazard of the other side of the world. You have experienced the challenges and you have come back home to feel it and seal it. Poverty and lack of development are challenges to Africa, but what do you see as a Nigerian? This is the heart of Africa. And I have interacted with many of you, my friends who are still out there, to try to attract them home.
“The best way to demonstrate to you is for me to commit myself to my agenda, the Renewed Hope, so that the hope of Nigerians of having a better environment, better education, better development and prosperity can be realised.
“And your hope that this part of the continent will change for good, for better, for an improved hospitable environment so that one day your children will see the foundation of this country as belonging to them and the future belonging to them is what we are working hard for.”
President Tinubu commended the doctors for their unwavering commitment to humanity through their recent medical outreach programmes conducted across different parts of the country, including the North-East, North-West, South-East, South-West and other regions.
The president noted that their voluntary services, which brought specialist medical care, surgeries, consultations, health education and life-saving interventions to thousands of Nigerians, reflect the compassion, patriotism and excellence for which Nigerians are renowned globally.
He urged the visiting doctors to serve as ambassadors of the country’s renewed optimism by encouraging more Nigerian medical professionals abroad to reconnect with home through partnerships, investments, knowledge exchange and permanent return where possible.
Earlier, Abike Dabiri-Erewa expressed the commitment of the visiting healthcare professionals to deploy their expertise and contribute their quota to the Renewed Hope National Healthcare Delivery Master Plan, as demonstrated in different parts of the country during their recent medical outreaches.
“Your Excellency, the visitors said they had been trained in Nigeria and because they are Nigerians and succeeded abroad, but they want to come back home and do something, and that is why we have the diaspora commission encouraging them and working with them to ensure that they play a part in your Renewed Hope Agenda.
“Mr President, it is your leadership qualities that made them agree to come collectively and make this impact in the health sector. Mr President, some of our people are leaving, but they’re also coming back with knowledge and expertise to make Nigeria a better place. So, what is your role in making Nigeria a better place? What is your role in the Renewed Hope Agenda? We are glad you are here, so welcome home,” said Abike to the visitors.
Also speaking, the minister of state for health, Dr Salako, said the commitment of the diaspora medical professionals has further validated the power and the reach of the Renewed Hope Agenda in the health sector.
“What we are seeing today further demonstrates that you are not only renewing the hope of Nigerians in Nigeria, but even Nigerians outside Nigeria are filling the agenda. And so, when your excellency declared in that renewed hope agenda document that the health of every Nigerian will be treated as a matter of urgent rights, our brothers and sisters abroad keyed into it.
“Since I became the minister of state for health, I have had interfaces with virtually everybody physically online. And I can tell you, excellency, these are very motivated, very ready, very prepared Nigerians who want to give back to Nigeria,” he said.
The minister added that the Ministry of Health will henceforth make the collaboration with the diaspora health professionals a yearly event in their calendar.
The delegation included Dr Jide Menakaya, Dr Kunle Akanbi, Dr Uche Menakaya, Dr Itua Iriogbe, Professor Afekhide Ernest Omoti, Dr Cliff Ike, and Dr Gertie Anyanwoke.
Others are Professor Rotimi Jaiyesimi, Dr Hamid Balogun, Dr Sadiya Gumi, Dr Benjamin Anyanwu, Dr Emilia Iwu, Chike Nweke, Wendy Olayinka, Dr Timileyin Oluseye, Dr Charles Adekunle and Tayo Erogbogbo.
