Mimiko calls for stronger investment in health, recommends ‘one egg, one child’ policy

By Boye Oyeyemi –

Ex-Ondo State Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, has urged governments at all levels to scale up funding for health and education, warning that Nigeria’s progress will remain limited if illiteracy and poor health continue to hinder development.

Speaking at the Convocation Lecture of the Confluence University of Science and Technology, Osara, Kogi State, Mimiko said recent fiscal gains present a chance to prioritise human capital.

He noted that fuel subsidy removal, exchange-rate reforms and planned tax adjustments have created opportunities to redirect resources.

He pushed for a redesigned school feeding programme anchored on “one egg, one child, one day” to be implemented by states for better accountability.

Mimiko said the approach would enhance learning outcomes, improve child health and support the livestock sector.

On insecurity, the former governor argued that effective policing requires decentralisation, insisting that Nigeria’s centralised structure is out of step with global federal systems.

He also backed the Tinubu administration’s “Nigeria First” industrial push, saying targeted policies such as tariffs and subsidies can stimulate local production and reduce dependence on market forces.

Mimiko concluded that improved government revenues must lead to greater spending on sectors that shape national development, insisting that Nigeria must deliberately tackle the “bond between ill-health and illiteracy” to move forward.