A prominent Nigerian health administrator has called for national solidarity while expressing concerns about perceived regional favoritism in resource distribution under the current administration.
Speaking on a interview with Arise TV from 17:06, Professor Usman Yusuf, who previously served as Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme, drew on African philosophy to advocate for a more unified approach to national development.
“People need to be sensible,” Yusuf stated, before invoking an African proverb. “We have a saying in Zulu, ‘I am because of who you are.’ It’s common humanity.” He then criticized what he views as growing self-interest in national politics: “This selfishness of ‘it’s me, it’s me’ is not right.”
The former health insurance chief went on to express specific concerns about current federal resource allocation: “What the president (Tinubu) is essentially doing, or at least what it seems he’s doing, is trying to pull all the resources to the Southwest, particularly Lagos.”
His remarks come amid growing debates about regional equity in Nigeria’s development strategy, particularly regarding the distribution of federal resources across the country’s six geopolitical zones. The intervention adds to ongoing discussions about balancing regional development in Africa’s largest economy.