World renown philanthropist and Co-Chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gates, explained why he was so hard on Nigeria and why he had to speak to the leaders directly.
Gates, in an interview with the CNN, had spoken against the Federal Government and their investment– or lack of it, in Healthcare and Education.
Speaking to Nigerian leaders, including Buhari, he said; “While it may be easier to be polite, it’s more important to face facts so that you can make progress,”
Gates had earlier in his trip to Nigeria convened a special session with the National Economic Council, and while there he urged the government to make better investments in health and education, as opposed to physical infrastructure which while good, affect the human capital development.
He 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.”