Residents of Ondo State have expressed grave concern over the slow pace of development in the nation’s health, agriculture and education sectors.

They told journalists in Akure on Monday that it was unfortunate that Nigeria, at 62 years, still depends largely on foreign nations to survive.

Commenting, Abayomi Monilari, the president, Ondo State Farmers Congress, compared Nigeria to a 62-year-old man who still depends on others to survive.

Mr Monilari, also the state chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), said, “It is unfortunate that Nigeria still depends on others to feed itself at 62.”

He added, “We ought to have improved beyond this pedestal level. The government should do something, if possible, ban everything’ bannable.”

Also, Ibikunle Fakorede, a former president, Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), Federal Medical Centre, Owo, called for the declaration of a state of emergency in the nation’s health sector.

Mr Fakorede, decrying the state of health in Nigeria, regretted that the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) Act, “is not rendering the expected services to Nigerian people”.

According to him, Nigeria needs to overhaul the NHIA Act, have new laws, and incorporate the market women and artisans into the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

“A suggestion for better services is for telecommunications service providers such as MTN, Airtel among others, to tax phone calls and give a certain percentage to the National Health Insurance Scheme.”

He decried that health workers have migrated to other countries due to the poor remuneration and workload in Nigeria.

In his reactions, Sunday Bamidele, a sociologist, said Nigeria, at its 62nd independence anniversary, had a lot to do to improve its education sector, adding “the standard is very low”.

Mr Bamidele, who said the Nigerian education sector had been crippled, cited the ongoing strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) as an example.

“We are the giant of Africa, and our education standard should not be comatose. I blame our leaders for this.

“If we have a scale of 10 to rate our education sector with the western world, then we should be at two,” he said.

The sociologist, however, urged the federal government to find a lasting solution to the ASUU strike and take considerable measures to improve the nation’s education sector. 

(NAN)