Former Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, has renewed his call for significantly increased public spending on health and education, warning that Nigeria’s progress will remain stalled unless government confronts what he termed the “sibling alliance against development: illiteracy and ill-health.”
Delivering the Convocation Lecture of the Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTECH), Osara, Kogi State, titled “Ill-health and Illiteracy: Siblings Alliance Against Development,” Mimiko said Nigeria’s human development indicators continue to paint “a dismal picture,” despite recent fiscal reforms that have boosted government revenues.
He acknowledged current policy efforts in both sectors but stressed that they must be expanded and pursued with urgency.
According to him, improved earnings from subsidy removal, exchange rate unification and the launch of tax reforms expected in 2026 present “a rare opportunity” for governments at all levels to redirect more resources to human capital development.
Mimiko placed strong emphasis on childhood nutrition, which he described as lying “at the intersection of health, education and agriculture.”
He argued that the national school feeding programme needs to be restructured, rebranded and decentralised—with the Federal Government setting broad standards while states handle implementation.
He proposed that the redesigned programme should include “the irreducible minimum of one egg, one child, one day,” saying this would enhance monitoring and accountability, while simultaneously stimulating growth in the livestock industry.
Turning briefly to insecurity, Mimiko said decentralising the police system is essential.
“To address the challenge of insecurity in Nigeria, we must decentralise the police service. No federation like Nigeria anywhere in the world operates the kind of centralised police structure we have,” he said.
He also expressed optimism that the “Nigeria First” policy of the Tinubu administration could help shift attention away from over-reliance on market forces and toward the deliberate public investment required to drive meaningful industrialisation.
“As government revenues improve, the visible hand of the state must ensure fair redistribution by channelling more public resources into healthcare and education,” he said, adding that such investments are critical for producing the skilled and innovative workforce needed for sustainable national development.
Mimiko stressed that increased investment must not be limited to the Federal Government, insisting that state governments also have a responsibility to reflect their improved fiscal capacity in their budget priorities.
“Our message is simple,” he said. “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.”
