Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has pledged to increase Nigeria’s healthcare spending to at least 10 percent of the country’s GDP if elected president in 2027.
Obi made the promise on Saturday after emerging as the presidential candidate of the NDC at the party’s convention in Abuja.
The former Anambra governor said Nigeria’s healthcare system is among the worst-performing in the world, with most primary healthcare centres not functioning effectively.
“Regarding health, Nigeria is currently ranked 157th globally, placing it in the lower echelon of healthcare worldwide,” he said.
“Primary healthcare, the cornerstone of our medical system, remains severely underfunctioning, with only 10 to 20 percent of approximately 30,000 primary healthcare centres operational.”
Obi said Nigeria’s low health insurance coverage and high infant mortality rate reflect the poor state of the sector.
“Health insurance coverage in Nigeria hovers around a mere 10 percent,” he said.
“I pledge that within four years, our health insurance coverage will more than double to over 20 percent.”
The NDC presidential candidate said his administration would increase healthcare funding and expand access to primary healthcare services across the country.
“Within these four years, we will increase our healthcare budget to a minimum of 10 percent of our GDP, up from the current level of below 5 percent,” he said.
“In four years, there will be a fully functional and properly managed primary healthcare centre in all 8,809 wards across the nation.”
He added that at least half of Nigeria’s estimated 30,000 primary healthcare centres would be fully functional by the end of his first term.
EDUCATION
On education, Obi said investment in human capital would be central to his administration’s development agenda.
“Education will remain at the forefront of our national revival, as no country can grow beyond its educational system,” he said.
“Our children are not burdens; they represent our most valuable assets.”
The 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate said his government would invest heavily in schools, teachers, technology, and vocational training to equip young Nigerians with employable and entrepreneurial skills.
Addressing food security, the former governor said Nigeria’s worsening hunger crisis was unacceptable given the country’s vast agricultural resources.
“In 2023, when the present government took office, Nigeria ranked 109 out of 150 nations on the Global Hunger Index,” he said.
“By 2025, our ranking further plunged to 115th, placing us among the hungriest nations globally.”
Obi said more than 35 million Nigerians are projected to face acute hunger this year, according to estimates by the World Food Programme.
He argued that Nigeria’s large landmass gives it a comparative advantage over leading rice-producing countries such as India, Bangladesh and Vietnam.
“The foregoing clearly illustrates that we have absolutely no justification for being among the world’s hungriest nations,” he said.
“Transitioning our nation from a state of consumption to one of production, through significant investments in agriculture, is the sole dependable strategy to escape the current depths of hunger and poverty.”
Obi added that unlocking the agricultural potential of northern Nigeria would be critical to driving economic growth and food sufficiency.
