Editor
Less than five percent of Nigerians have access to insurance with the National Health Insurance Service just as over 90 percent have no health insurance.
President of the African Development Bank, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, disclosed this much at the Aliyu Musdafa Hall of the American University of Nigeria, Yola at the 2020/2021 combined graduation ceremony of the AUN.
Join our WhatsApp Channel“You can see the effects on the lives of people,” Akinwunmi told a crowd of listeners in Yola.
He said there is a lot to change to secure the health of the population as “Nigerians are not living long compared to other countries.”
Life expectancy in Nigeria, according to him, is “only 60 years (2020), compared to 70 years in India, 81 years in the UK, 80 years in the US, 82 years in Norway, and 86 years in Singapore.”
The AfDB President advised that Nigeria should build a comprehensive health care defence system, to secure its population against the impacts of the current pandemic and future pandemics. “There must be equal opportunities for all. Health is wealth. We must ensure that all have access to health care, regardless of the levels of income,” Akinwunmi said.
