Nigeria has recorded its first tele-robotic surgery after a surgeon in Lagos successfully operated on a patient in Abuja in real time.
The procedure was performed on Saturday through a collaboration between Redeemer’s Health Village, RHV, RoboMed Global and Nisa Premier Hospital.
The surgery was conducted from a Toumai console at RHV on a patient at Nisa Premier Hospital, Abuja.
It was a telesurgery-assisted, robot-assisted right radical nephrectomy performed to remove a kidney affected by a cancerous tumour.
Tele-robotic surgery, also known as remote surgery, enables a surgeon to perform an operation on a patient from a different physical location.
Prof Obi Ekwenna-Davies, Professor of Urology and Transplantation and Co-Founder of RoboMed Global, led the procedure.
Speaking after the surgery at RHV, Ekwenna-Davies said the procedure demonstrated that telesurgery could be safely performed on patients in different parts of Nigeria and the world.
“Distance should never decide who receives safe surgery; this is what safe and trusted surgery looks like,” he said.
The U.S.-based surgeon said the patient was in good condition and expected to be discharged within 24 hours.
He said the procedure lasted about three hours, with brief stoppages to ensure that the equipment and systems functioned properly.
Ekwenna-Davies said the collaboration marked the first time two hospitals in different parts of Nigeria successfully worked together to provide surgical care to a patient.
He said the sustainability of the initiative would depend on continuous training, adding that a robotic academy would soon be established to train surgeons and other medical professionals.
He said the academy aims to train at least 150 surgeons within the next two years.
Ekwenna-Davies said the programme had the support of the Minister of Health and other government institutions, while calling for additional support from private and non-governmental organisations.
Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer of RHV, Dr Adedamola Dada, said the development marked the first telesurgery in West Africa.
Dada said RHV was established to promote innovation and provide world-class healthcare services at affordable costs.
“What has happened today is a demonstration that Nigerians can access modern healthcare without travelling abroad,” he said.
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He said the initiative was not primarily profit-driven but aimed at demonstrating what modern healthcare could offer Nigerians, in line with the vision of the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God.
Dada said the development had positioned the hospital as a gateway through which specialist skills could be transferred to patients across Nigeria.
He said the introduction of robotic surgery and telesurgery at RHV was aimed at reducing medical tourism and improving access to complex surgical procedures within the country.
The CEO said measures had been put in place to address possible connectivity challenges through the use of reliable networks.
He explained that weather conditions could sometimes affect connectivity, while the quality of equipment and availability of skilled personnel were also critical to the success of telesurgery.
Dada said RHV was establishing a robotic academy in collaboration with RoboMed Global to train doctors, surgeons, nurses, biomedical engineers and product specialists.
He urged the government to support and sponsor medical professionals interested in acquiring robotic surgery skills.
“My message to government is to support and sponsor Nigerians, the surgeons, the nurses, the biomedical engineers who would want to come and do this training here,” he said.
“They can award scholarships to them so that within two to three years, Nigeria will have a lot of professionals who are capable of performing robotic surgery,” he added.
Dr Ibrahim Wada, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Nisa Premier Hospital, said the facility had been a centre for robotic surgery in West Africa since November 2025.
“Today, our patient received specialist surgical expertise from across the country without leaving Abuja. This is what becomes possible when Nigerian institutions decide to build together,” Wada said.
Dr Kunle Onakoya, Chairman of the Board of RHV, described the development as historic.
The development followed RHV’s first robotic-assisted surgery, which was performed on September 17.
Dada had disclosed that the hospital achieved the feat through its partnership with RoboMed Global and that six robot-assisted surgeries would be carried out at the hospital.
The first procedure, led by Ekwenna-Davies, involved the removal of a localised prostate cancer.
Ekwenna-Davies said robotic surgery was useful for patients with localised prostate cancer, describing it as cancer that had not spread to other parts of the body.
He said kidney cancer surgery and other procedures would also be carried out at the hospital.
Highlighting the benefits of robotic surgery, Ekwenna-Davies said it involved small incisions, enabling patients to experience less pain and reducing the risk of wound infection.
He also said robotic surgery allowed more precise tissue manipulation compared with conventional surgery.
RHV is a faith-based 300-bed multispecialty hospital established by the Redeemed Christian Church of God.
NAN
