Korede Abdullah 
Dr Olusegun Mimiko delivering a lecture on Nigeria’s human capital challenges
OSARA, Nigeria – Former Ondo State Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko warns that Nigeria risks deepening underdevelopment unless the federal government urgently increases investment in health and education.
Speaking on Friday during the maiden convocation lecture of the Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTECH), Mimiko highlights critical indicators showing how inadequate funding has weakened national progress.
He cites alarming maternal mortality statistics, noting that Nigeria accounts for 29 per cent of global maternal deaths despite representing less than three per cent of the world’s population. “An approximate maternal death occurs every seven minutes,” he says, calling the situation evidence that “Nigeria is one of the most dangerous places to give birth.”
On education, Mimiko references UNESCO’s 2025 data showing 43 million illiterate adults, while UNICEF reports 18.3 million out-of-school children. “This number is higher than the population of many countries,” he warns, adding that the consequences could leave Nigeria dependent on untrained practitioners rather than qualified professionals.
He also criticises the current wage system, pointing out that university lecturers earn less than N500,000 monthly. “There is something fundamentally wrong with such a structure,” he says, arguing that underfunding contributes to the accelerating Japa crisis.
Mimiko calls for urgent reforms, including strengthening NELFUND, scaling digital literacy, and restoring the school feeding programme with “one egg, one child, one day” as its minimum standard.
He stresses that coordinated federal and sub-national action is critical to reversing Nigeria’s human capital decline. “Without deliberate investment in health and education, Nigeria will remain underdeveloped,” he concludes.
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Oluwafunbi Bello 
Oluwatobi Adu 
Koko Maxwella 
Hussaini Ibrahim