When Kingsley Obiekezie Aneke wrote what would become his final public message, he framed it not as a farewell, but as a warning.

In a tribute posted shortly before his death on 5 December 2025, the Nigerian man detailed a long struggle with heart disease and the circumstances that led to his final days. Central to his account was a recurring theme familiar to many Nigerians: a healthcare system stretched thin by underfunding, strikes, rising costs, and the steady departure of skilled medical professionals to other countries.

For years, Mr Aneke said his condition had been managed successfully under the care of a cardiologist he trusted. That stability ended when the doctor relocated abroad, citing the deteriorating state of Nigeria’s healthcare sector. Without that continuity of care, Mr Aneke wrote, his condition gradually worsened.

On 24 November, he was admitted to the hospital that had previously stabilised him during earlier episodes. As his condition became critical, doctors attempted to refer him to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), one of Nigeria’s major public tertiary facilities. However, industrial action meant LUTH, like several other public hospitals at the time, was not fully operational.

With public options unavailable, his family turned to private hospitals. According to Mr Aneke’s account, two facilities—Evercare Hospital Lekki and Duke’s Neurosurgery and Specialist Hospital—requested deposits of more than ₦2 million before treatment could begin. His family eventually settled for Duke’s Hospital in Victoria Island.

In his message, Mr Aneke alleged that the hospital prioritised payment over urgent care, with repeated billing even as his condition deteriorated. Despite his family’s financial sacrifices, he said, he felt reduced to a transaction rather than treated as a patient in crisis.

He died less than two weeks later.

His death has since sparked renewed debate about the impact of healthcare worker migration on Nigeria’s already fragile medical system. Over the past decade, thousands of Nigerian doctors and nurses have relocated to the UK, Canada, Saudi Arabia and other countries, drawn by better pay, safer working conditions and clearer career progression. According to professional associations, Nigeria currently has far fewer doctors per capita than the World Health Organization recommends.

Public hospitals, once considered the last line of defence in critical cases, are increasingly affected by staff shortages and labour disputes. Private hospitals, while filling some gaps, are often inaccessible to many Nigerians due to high upfront costs and limited specialist capacity.

In his final message, Mr Aneke described private hospitals as “a death trap in critical situations”, arguing that they lack the depth of expertise found in teaching hospitals, yet charge fees beyond the reach of most citizens.

He also broadened his criticism to governance, insecurity and infrastructure decay, linking poor health outcomes to wider systemic failures. Roads, he said, were killing people daily; kidnappings were increasing; politicians were focused on future elections rather than basic services.

Yet his message was not without hope. He urged Nigerians to seek medical check-ups early, noting that early detection had extended his life for years. He encouraged healthier living and called on citizens to continue demanding accountability and reform.

“Many people cannot afford the care I received,” he wrote. “Some cannot even access basic medical support.”

As tributes continue to pour in, Mr Aneke’s story has become emblematic of a broader national dilemma: a country losing its best medical hands while patients are left navigating strikes, referrals and unaffordable bills in moments where time is critical.

For many, his final words serve as both a personal goodbye and a stark reminder of what is at stake if Nigeria’s healthcare system—and the professionals who sustain it—continue to drift away.