Nigeria Health Crisis: Workforce Shortage, Drug Imports Threaten System – NAS
Korede Abdullah 
Executive Secretary, NAS, Dr. Odubanjo (Photo credit: Korede Abdullah/AHR)
LAGOS, Nigeria – The Nigerian Academy of Science (NAS) has warned that Nigeria’s worsening shortage of health workers and heavy reliance on imported medicines pose a serious threat to the country’s health system.
Executive Secretary, NAS, Dr. Mobolaji Oladoyin Odubanjo, said in an exclusive interview with Africa Health Report on Thursday in Lagos that the country’s most urgent challenge is the growing gap in skilled health personnel.
“There’s nothing else you do that’s going to work if you don’t have the people,” he said.
Odubanjo said Nigeria’s ongoing brain drain in the health sector cannot be solved by restricting professionals from leaving, stressing instead the need to improve working conditions, welfare and opportunities within the country.
He warned that investments in infrastructure alone would not deliver results without a strong and motivated workforce to drive the system.
The NAS chief also called for urgent expansion of local pharmaceutical and vaccine production to improve health security and reduce dependence on foreign supply chains.
According to him, global disruptions such as the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the vulnerability of countries that rely heavily on imported medicines.
“Every drug you import is a problem,” he said, noting that strengthening domestic production would ensure more reliable access to essential medicines while easing pressure on foreign exchange.
Odubanjo further emphasised the importance of investing in research tailored to Nigeria’s specific health needs, including the exploration of indigenous medicinal resources and socio-cultural factors influencing health outcomes.
“There has to be local solutions for local problems, and that takes research,” he said.
He added that strengthening research systems, alongside workforce development and local manufacturing capacity, would be critical to building a resilient and self-sufficient health sector in Nigeria.
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