Why I spoke directly to Nigerian leaders –Bill Gates
The Co-Chair of the Bill and Melinda
Gates Foundation, Mr. Bill Gates, again on Monday criticised the
Federal Government’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan.
Gates, in an interview with the CNN, said that the Federal Government’s investment in education and health was not good enough.
“While it may be easier to be polite,
it’s more important to face facts so that you can make progress,” the
philanthropist told a room of Nigeria’s government elite that included
the President.
In an exclusive television interview with the CNN, Gates said he spoke out to implore Nigerian politicians to focus on human capital and its large youth population.
“The current quality and quantity of
investment in this young generation in health and education just isn’t
good enough. So, I was very direct,” he told CNN.
The philanthropist had at a special
session of the National Economic Council, on Thursday, said Nigeria
would do better with strong investments in health and education, rather
than concentrate on physical infrastructure to the detriment of human
capital development.
He had said, “Nigeria is one of the
most dangerous places in the world to give birth, with the fourth worst
maternal mortality rate in the world ahead of only Sierra Leone, Central
African Republic and Chad. One in three Nigerian children is
chronically malnourished.
“In upper middle-income countries, the
average life expectancy is 75 years. In lower middle-income countries,
it’s 68; in low-income countries, it’s 62. In Nigeria, it is lower
still, just 53 years.
“The Nigerian government’s Economic
Recovery and Growth Plan identifies investing in the people as one of
three strategic objectives. But the execution priorities don’t fully
reflect people’s needs, prioritising physical capital over human
capital. People without roads, ports and factories can’t flourish. And
roads, ports and factories without skilled workers to build and manage
them can’t sustain an economy.”
But the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir
el-Rufai, in an interview with State House correspondents after the NEC
meeting, faulted the claim of Gates.
He said the plan had enough provisions
for education and health, adding that what was needed was for states to
complement efforts of the Federal Government.
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