The Convener of Big Tent Shadow Cabinet, Prof. Pat Utomi, has urged the Federal Government to shift priorities from flashy projects to healthcare and education development.
Utomi, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos, said healthcare and education remained the best investments for national prosperity.
He lamented that government announcements were dominated by costly projects running into billions of dollars.
Utomi cited the $11 billion Eko Atlantic, the Calabar Coastal Highway, and the $4 billion Lagos to Abuja Super-Highway as examples.
“Others include the $60 billion Lagos to Abuja High-speed Railway, the modernisation of Lagos Airport Terminal One, and a new $10 million presidential jet,” he said.
He argued that such projects benefit the wealthy but add little value to over 220 million poor Nigerians, representing about 95 per cent of the population.
Citing the World Health Organisation, Utomi noted Nigeria’s average life expectancy at birth is 62.2 years, about 11.5 years below the global average of 73.7 years.
He described Nigeria’s maternal mortality rate of 993 per 100,000 live births, and under-five mortality rate of 117 per 1,000, as among the world’s worst.
“What we ask the Federal Government to do is abandon these flashy projects and redirect resources towards revamping the primary healthcare system,” he stated.
He said such reforms would significantly reduce leading causes of death and improve daily life for millions of poor Nigerians.
According to him, investment in healthcare could increase Nigeria’s average life expectancy by 16 years, reaching over 78 years within a decade.
Utomi identified eight deadly conditions requiring urgent attention: neonatal disorders, malaria, respiratory infections, diarrhoeal diseases, HIV/AIDS, hypertension, sickle cell disease, and road traffic accidents.
He said government must, within five to ten years, resuscitate and adequately staff the nation’s 30,000 primary healthcare centres to address these health challenges.
Dr Adefoladeye Adebayo, spokesperson of the Big Tent Shadow Cabinet, also urged government investment in healthcare, describing flashy projects as a “misplaced priority”.
Adebayo said revamping primary healthcare would ease the burden on secondary and tertiary facilities while expanding access to essential health services nationwide.
She described the mass migration of Nigerian-trained doctors as troubling and urged government action to retain medical professionals within the country.
She further stressed the need to restructure the National Health Insurance Scheme to make it more effective and patient-centred.
According to her, it is not the scheme’s responsibility to determine suitable medications for patients, as is currently the case in Nigeria.
She criticised healthcare providers for denying patients prescribed medicines under the pretext that such drugs are not covered by the insurance scheme.
Adebayo also called for strengthening Nigeria’s emergency response system to guarantee timely intervention during critical health situations across the country.
“There must be urgent restructuring of health insurance schemes to include treatment for major illnesses such as cancer.
“Proper regulation and supervision are needed to stop providers prioritising profit over patient care, and ensure effective medical service delivery,” she added.
