Sept. 2, 2025
Prof. Osondu Ogbuoji, a health expert at the Centre for Policy Impact in Global Health, Duke University, says Nigeria is ranked among the top three countries globally for effective management of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking at a National Health Financing Policy Dialogue, Ogbuoji noted that an analysis of 30 countries placed Nigeria behind only China and Japan.
The dialogue, which had the theme, “Reimagining the Future of Health Financing in Nigeria”, was organised by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) and partners.
He attributed this success to the strong leadership of the Presidential Task Force, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), and other health authorities.
In spite this achievement, Ogbuoji warned that the world faces a 20 per cent chance of another pandemic within the next decade, with the potential to claim 2.5 million lives annually.
“The likelihood of another pandemic happening in the next 10 years is about 20 per cent.
“That translates to 2.5 million deaths every year if the world is not prepared,” he warned.
He stressed the need for structured research into Nigeria’s COVID-19 response to identify what worked well and what fell short.
According to him, this will help in strengthening preparedness for future outbreaks.
The expert further warned that a potential future pandemic could kill more people annually than the combined deaths from HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis.
He underscored the importance of financing, research, and strategic investment in health security.
He also called for stronger alignment of global and domestic health financing, stressing the need for investment in antimicrobial resistance, maternal and child health, and improved data systems. (NAN)
