Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has said Nigeria cannot build a new nation while citizens continue to die from preventable conditions due to weaknesses in the country’s primary healthcare system.
Obi made the statement on Monday while reacting to a report highlighting the poor performance of Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) across the country.
A recent report revealed that 97 per cent of PHCs in 16 states failed to meet Nigeria’s prescribed staffing requirements, a development Obi described as a serious danger to Nigerians.
Reacting to the report in a post on X, the former Anambra State governor called on the Federal Government to significantly increase investment in primary healthcare and ensure that health centres across the country are adequately staffed and functional.
According to Obi, the state of primary healthcare is one of the factors contributing to Nigeria’s reputation as one of the most difficult places to be born and live.
He argued that the country’s progress should not be measured solely by physical infrastructure such as flyovers, bus terminals or airports, but by improvements in the quality of life of ordinary Nigerians.
“Progress shouldn’t be judged by things like flyovers, new bus stops, or airports that aren’t used much.
Instead, we should look at how many lives are saved, how many health centres are working, how many trained health workers are available, and how good the care is for regular Nigerians,” Obi said.
He added, “We can’t build a new Nigeria when our people are dying from problems that a proper primary healthcare system should stop.”
Obi urged the government to prioritise functional primary healthcare facilities, adequate staffing and quality medical services as part of efforts to improve the wellbeing of Nigerians.
