Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has expressed concern over Nigeria’s poor health indices, describing life expectancy in the country as one of the lowest in the world.
In a statement shared on his X handle on Monday, Obi cited the United Nations World Population Prospects 2025 Report, which placed Nigeria’s average life expectancy at 54.6 years—54.3 years for men and 54.9 years for women. He noted that this figure was worse than in some war-torn nations.
Obi also referenced another global report, which ranked Nigeria as the most dangerous country in the world to give birth, with one maternal death recorded every seven minutes. He described the findings as “a double tragedy,” stressing that health remains one of the most critical measures of national development.
“These reports are not just statistics; they reflect the daily experience of Nigerian life. Though Nigeria is not officially at war, our life expectancy is now worse than that of Ukraine and South Sudan, all because of poor governance and a failing health system,” he wrote.
The former Anambra State governor argued that the figures highlight misplaced priorities and underinvestment in healthcare. He urged urgent reforms, saying, “We must prioritise healthcare as a cornerstone of building our dear nation.”
Data from the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) in 2018 had placed the country’s maternal mortality ratio at 512 deaths per 100,000 live births, underscoring persistent gaps in healthcare delivery.
Turning to politics, Obi condemned the recent conduct of local government elections in Rivers State by Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (rtd), the sole administrator appointed by President Bola Tinubu. He described the exercise as “rascality taken too far” and “a mockery of democracy.”
He argued that the polls were unconstitutional, stating that “illegality can never give birth to legitimacy” and warning that Nigeria risked undermining the rule of law if such practices continued.
According to him, “Nigeria cannot afford to continue on this perilous path. We cannot pretend to practise democracy while silencing the will of the people, especially at the grassroots, where democracy matters most.”
Obi maintained that true progress would only come when elections at all levels reflected the will of the people and upheld the sanctity of the ballot.
