Sowore Carpets Nigerian Leaders for Abandoning Health System

National Chairman of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has taken a swipe at Nigerian political elites who routinely shun the country’s deteriorating healthcare facilities while opting for treatment abroad, saying some leaders are no longer willing to even “die” in Nigeria.

Sowore made the remarks on Saturday at the AAC National Convention in Abuja, where he painted a grim picture of the nation’s current realities.

He said citizens are battling a combination of insecurity, rising hunger, inadequate healthcare, and failing infrastructure—conditions he described as evidence that the country is “in deep agony.”

According to him, the widespread decay is reflected in under-equipped hospitals, unsafe learning environments, worsening poverty levels, and the mass departure of medical professionals seeking better opportunities overseas.

“People can no longer rely on our hospitals. Our leaders jet out for medical treatment and avoid the same system they built at home,” he lamented.

Sowore stressed that calls for reform are not simply protests but demands for a leadership rooted in values, honesty, and accountability.

He cautioned against political opportunism, criticising officeholders who only identify with political parties during elections before returning to long-standing alliances.

He alleged that some mainstream parties had approached the AAC for alliances but insisted that the party would not compromise its principles.

“We cannot align with them because our values are different. Whether APC or PDP, whichever way you arrange the letters, it’s the same thing,” he said. He urged only those who genuinely embrace the party’s ideology to join its fold.

Addressing the newly elected party officials, Sowore warned them to resist financial enticements, saying the political space has become overrun by money-driven loyalty.

“Do not accept everyone simply because they come with money. The future of this party and Nigeria rests in your hands,” he stated.

Sowore further claimed that one major political party had “collapsed naturally,” while another was “barely surviving,” insisting that cosmetic rebranding cannot mask the contradictions within them.

Quoting a popular saying, he added: “No matter the packaging, if something is not Panadol, it cannot work like Panadol.”