By Odesola JF., PhD
There are some moments that make you stop and say, “This is good for Nigeria.”
The successful performance of the first robot-assisted surgery at Redeemer’s Health Village (RHV) is one of those moments.
It is easy to look at the achievement and simply say, “A robot has performed surgery in Nigeria.” But behind that statement is a much bigger story—a story about a patient, a medical team, Nigerian professionals, a faith-based institution, technological innovation and a dream that Nigerians should not always have to travel abroad to receive advanced medical treatment.
On Thursday, September 17, 2026, Redeemer’s Health Village announced the successful completion of its first robot-assisted surgery: the removal of a localised prostate cancer.
For the patient, this was not history.
It was personal.
It was about health, family, hope and the possibility of returning home after treatment.
For the doctors, it was the result of years of training and preparation.
For RHV, it was the fulfilment of part of a vision.
For the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), it was another opportunity to demonstrate that service to humanity goes beyond the walls of a church auditorium.
And for Nigeria, it was another small but significant step towards showing that world-class healthcare does not always have to happen somewhere else.
A PATIENT DOES NOT SEE A ROBOT; A PATIENT SEES HOPE
When we talk about robotic surgery, it is easy to become carried away by the technology.
We hear words like “robot,” “precision,” “advanced equipment” and “minimally invasive surgery.”
But at the centre of all these impressive words is a human being.
Someone has received a diagnosis.
Someone is worried.
Someone’s family is praying.
Someone is asking, “Will I survive?”
That is why the achievement at RHV is so important.
The first robot-assisted surgery was performed on a patient with localised prostate cancer—cancer confined to the prostate and not spread to other parts of the body.
Professor Obi Ekwenna-Davis, Co-Founder of RoboMed Global Inc. and Professor of Urology, led the procedure.
His explanation of the advantages of robotic surgery helps us understand why this technology matters.
The procedure uses small incisions, which can mean less pain and may reduce the risk of wound infection compared with traditional open surgery. The robotic system can also assist surgeons with highly precise movements and tissue manipulation.
Professor Ekwenna-Davis explained that human surgeons naturally have some degree of hand tremor, while robotic systems can help provide greater precision during delicate procedures.
For a patient, these technical explanations ultimately translate into something very simple:
less suffering, faster recovery and an earlier return to normal life, where appropriate.
That is where technology becomes meaningful.
HOW MANY NIGERIANS HAVE HAD TO TRAVEL ABROAD?
For decades, many Nigerians have travelled outside the country because they believed they could not obtain certain specialised medical services at home.
Some have sold property.
Some have borrowed money.
Some have emptied their savings.
Some have depended on relatives and friends.
And some families have endured the emotional stress of accompanying a loved one to another country for treatment.
Medical tourism is not merely about statistics.
It has faces.
It has names.
It has families.
It has stories.
A father who travels abroad for treatment is somebody’s husband.
A mother who leaves Nigeria for surgery is somebody’s mother.
A young professional who travels thousands of kilometres for specialised treatment is somebody’s son or daughter.
And behind each patient is a family hoping and praying for good news.
That is why bringing advanced medical services home matters.
Dr Adedamola Dada, Chief Executive Officer of RHV, said the partnership with RoboMed Global Inc. is not primarily about profit but about demonstrating what appropriate and modern healthcare should look like for Nigerians.
That is a powerful philosophy.
Healthcare should ultimately be about the patient.
RHV AND THE COURAGE TO THINK DIFFERENTLY
The achievement did not happen by accident.
It came from a willingness to think beyond the ordinary.
RHV partnered with RoboMed Global Inc., a United States-based organisation, to bring specialised robotic surgical expertise to Nigeria.
The partnership will initially facilitate six robot-assisted surgeries at the hospital.
But perhaps the most important part of the announcement is what comes next.
The plan is not simply to bring experts from abroad, perform surgeries and leave.
The intention is to build Nigerian capacity.
That is where the story becomes even more exciting.
DO NOT JUST BRING THE TECHNOLOGY – TRAIN THE PEOPLE
One of the greatest mistakes developing countries can make is to buy sophisticated equipment without developing the people who will operate and sustain it.
A machine can be purchased.
Expertise must be built.
That is why RHV’s plan to establish a Robotic Surgery Training Academy deserves particular attention.
The academy is expected to help train Nigerian professionals in this emerging field and create a sustainable pipeline of expertise.
The proposed collaboration with Redeemer’s University and the National Postgraduate College to develop a robust training programme and curriculum is also important.
Think about what this could mean for a young Nigerian doctor.
Instead of having to leave the country to acquire specialised experience, opportunities may increasingly become available at home.
Think about the biomedical engineer who will learn how to support sophisticated equipment.
Think about the nurses who will be trained in robotic surgery procedures.
Think about the theatre professionals who will acquire new skills.
Think about the young Nigerian surgeons who may eventually become experts and, in turn, train another generation.
That is how a single operation becomes the beginning of an ecosystem.
FROM BRAIN DRAIN TO BRAIN RETURN
Professor Ekwenna-Davis spoke about the involvement of Nigerian-American surgeons and other highly skilled professionals in the development of robotic surgery.
This is important.
For years, Nigeria has watched some of its brightest professionals leave the country in search of opportunities elsewhere.
But there is another possibility.
What if some of the knowledge acquired abroad begins to return home?
What if Nigerian professionals in America, Britain, Canada, Europe and elsewhere begin to see Nigeria not merely as a place they came from, but as a place where they can invest their knowledge?
What if partnerships allow expertise to flow in both directions?
That is the kind of international collaboration Nigeria needs.
The world is becoming increasingly connected.
The Nigerian professional abroad can contribute to Nigeria.
The Nigerian institution at home can provide the platform.
The patient becomes the ultimate beneficiary.
A SIGNIFICANT MOMENT FOR RCCG
For RCCG, this achievement is particularly meaningful.
The Church has never been called merely to occupy buildings.
Christian ministry is about people.
People have spiritual needs, but they also have physical, emotional, educational and social needs.
A hungry person needs food.
A child needs education.
A distressed family needs support.
And a sick person needs compassionate and competent healthcare.
This is why healthcare initiatives such as RHV can be understood as part of a broader expression of service to humanity.
The establishment and development of Redeemer’s Health Village demonstrate that a faith-based organisation can participate in areas of national development where professionalism and excellence are essential.
The operating theatre does not ask whether a patient is rich or poor, famous or unknown.
Illness does not respect social status.
Pain does not recognise titles.
And cancer does not ask what church a person attends.
That is why compassionate healthcare matters.
NIGERIA’S FIRST ROBOTIC SURGERY—AND THE NEED TO DO MORE
Professor Ekwenna-Davis noted that robotic surgery has existed internationally for more than two decades, yet Nigeria recorded its first robotic surgery only in 2025.
That delay should cause reflection.
Nigeria is not short of brilliant people.
Nigerians are leading hospitals, universities, research institutions and technology companies across the world.
The question is how to create an environment where more of that expertise can flourish at home.
The RHV initiative offers one possible model: combine Nigerian institutional capacity with international expertise, modern technology, training and long-term partnerships.
It is not enough to celebrate the machine.
We must build the ecosystem around the machine.
We need trained surgeons.
We need nurses.
We need anaesthetists.
We need biomedical engineers.
We need technicians.
We need researchers.
We need educators.
We need maintenance specialists.
We need institutions capable of sustaining the technology.
And above all, we need a culture of excellence.
THIS IS ABOUT MORE THAN PROSTATE CANCER
The first procedure involved prostate cancer, but the vision extends beyond it.
According to Professor Ekwenna-Davis, kidney cancer surgery and other procedures are expected to form part of the robotic surgery programme at RHV.
That opens a much wider conversation about the future of specialised healthcare in Nigeria.
Today, prostate cancer.
Tomorrow, kidney cancer.
Eventually, other procedures as the expertise and infrastructure develop.
The goal should not be to imitate hospitals abroad.
The goal should be to develop healthcare solutions that are appropriate, safe, accessible and sustainable for Nigerians.
LET US CELEBRATE THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE MACHINE
In all the excitement about robotic technology, let us not forget the people who made the achievement possible.
There are doctors who trained for years.
There are nurses who prepared the theatre.
There are technicians who ensure that sophisticated equipment functions properly.
There are administrators who planned and coordinated.
There are partners who believed the project was possible.
There are families who supported the professionals involved.
And there is a patient who placed his or her trust in the medical team.
Every great medical achievement is ultimately a human achievement.
The machine may be sophisticated, but it takes human knowledge, courage, discipline and compassion to use it properly.
A MESSAGE TO NIGERIA
There is something else we should learn from this achievement.
Nigeria must learn to celebrate progress.
We have many challenges. Our healthcare system still faces significant difficulties. There is much more to be done.
But acknowledging progress does not mean ignoring the problems.
It means recognising what is working while demanding that more be done.
The successful robotic surgery at RHV does not mean Nigeria’s healthcare challenges have disappeared.
It means something encouraging has happened.
It means another door has opened.
It means another possibility has become real.
And sometimes, national transformation begins with one possibility becoming reality.
THE BEGINNING, NOT THE END
The first robot-assisted surgery at Redeemer’s Health Village should not be viewed as the conclusion of a story.
It should be viewed as the beginning of one.
The six planned surgeries are only part of the journey.
The proposed robotic academy is another part.
The collaboration with universities and postgraduate institutions is another.
The development of Nigerian specialists is another.
The potential reduction in overseas medical travel is another.
And the possibility of making Nigeria a destination for advanced medical training and treatment is another.
The real question now is not whether RHV can perform one robotic surgery.
It has done that.
The bigger question is how far this vision can go.
Can it produce a new generation of Nigerian robotic surgeons?
Can it train specialists who will serve across Africa?
Can it create research opportunities?
Can it attract Nigerian medical professionals abroad to collaborate with institutions at home?
Can it contribute to reducing the burden of medical tourism?
These are possibilities worth pursuing.
A MOMENT OF HOPE
At the end of the day, this is not really a story about a robot.
It is a story about hope.
It is about a patient who needed help.
It is about professionals who were prepared to provide that help.
It is about an institution willing to embrace innovation.
It is about international partners willing to share expertise.
It is about a Church that continues to explore ways of serving humanity beyond conventional boundaries.
And it is about a country that must never give up on the possibility of doing great things.
The successful robot-assisted prostate cancer surgery at Redeemer’s Health Village is therefore a moment worth celebrating.
Not because everything is now perfect.
Not because Nigeria has suddenly solved all its healthcare problems.
But because something that once seemed distant has come closer.
A technology that Nigerians once travelled abroad to access is now being deployed on Nigerian soil.
A new generation of professionals can be trained here.
A patient can receive advanced care closer to home.
And a Nigerian institution has taken another step into the future.
This is what progress looks like: one patient helped, one skill transferred, one professional trained, one partnership formed and one more reason for Nigerians to believe that the future of healthcare can also be built at home.
May this first robotic surgery become the beginning of many more successful procedures.
May RHV continue to pursue excellence.
May the proposed academy produce highly skilled professionals.
May more Nigerians benefit from advanced medical care without having to travel abroad.
And may this achievement inspire other Nigerian institutions to dream bigger, invest wisely and serve humanity better.
The robot may have entered the operating theatre, but the real story is that hope has entered a new chapter in Nigerian healthcare.
