Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party and former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, has criticised the poor state of Nigeria’s healthcare system, calling for an urgent redirection of national planning and investment towards health, education, and poverty alleviation.
Obi spoke as the keynote speaker at an event organised by the University of Nigeria Alumni at Eko Hotel, Lagos.
In a statement via X, Obi stressed that true development should be measured by improvements in the Human Development Index (HDI) rather than physical infrastructure. He painted a bleak picture of Nigeria’s healthcare landscape, noting that more than 70 per cent of the country’s primary healthcare centres are non-functional due to poor facilities and inadequate manpower.
Comparing Nigeria to India, he noted that the South Asian country, despite having a population about seven times Nigeria’s, has achieved approximately 80 per cent of the recommended doctor-to-population ratio.