Mimiko Seeks More Investment In Health, Education
A former Governor of Ondo State, Olusegun Mimiko, has called on the government to increase investment in public health and education.
Mimiko noted that Nigeria’s development would remain stunted unless the government urgently addressed persistent challenges in the education and health sectors.
He stated this while delivering the convocation lecture of the Confluence University of Science and Technology, Osara, Kogi State.
The lecture, titled “Ill-health and Illiteracy: Siblings’ Alliance Against Development,” was made available to our correspondent in Akure, the state capital, on Friday.
According to the guest lecturer, Nigeria’s human development indicators paint “a dismal picture,” despite recent fiscal reforms that have boosted government revenues.
He commended the present administration for ongoing policy efforts in the education and health sectors but insisted that the interventions needed to be intensified and aggressively implemented.
Mimiko said, “Improved accruals from subsidy removal, exchange rate unification, and the expected commencement of tax reforms in 2026 present a rare opportunity for governments at all levels to redirect more funds to human capital development.”
Emphasising childhood nutrition, the former governor said 40 per cent of Nigeria’s under-five children suffer from stunted growth due to malnourishment.
He argued that the free school meal programme needed to be rebranded and decentralised, suggesting that the Federal Government should set general guidelines, standards and limits, while sub-national governments handle implementation.
“The programme could be reworked to incorporate the irreducible minimum of one egg, one child, one day as part of the mid-day meal.
“This will make compliance and accountability easy to track. It will also have a catalytic effect on our livestock industry,” Mimiko said.
On industrialisation, he expressed optimism that the policies of the Tinubu administration could help shift attention away from over-reliance on market forces towards deliberate public policy utilising tariffs, subsidies and industrial strategies needed to drive growth and development.
“As government revenues improve, the visible hand of the state must ensure fair redistribution by channelling more public resources into healthcare and education.
“Such investments are essential for producing the skilled and innovative citizens required to drive sustainable national development.
“Our message is simple: more public investment in health and education must be prioritised. The alliance of illiteracy and ill health must be confronted and reversed if Nigeria is to achieve meaningful development,” Mimiko concluded.