Former Ondo State governor Olusegun Mimiko says Nigeria — responsible for roughly 29% of global maternal deaths — remains the world’s most dangerous place to give birth because of chronic underinvestment in health and education.
At the maiden convocation lecture of Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTECH) in Osara, Mimiko argued that Nigeria’s dismal record on maternal health — with around 29% of global maternal deaths and a maternal death roughly every seven minutes — stems from decades of neglect in funding critical sectors like health, education, nutrition, and research.
He noted that the country holds a large share of the world’s illiterate adults and many children remain out of school, a situation he warns could result in future reliance on untrained herbalists rather than qualified medical workers. He urged the federal and subnational governments to invest seriously and sustainably in health and education — including improving salaries for professors, reviving school-feeding programmes, and boosting nutrition — to build human capital and prevent Nigeria from becoming even more underdeveloped.