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Nigeria, Africa’s 4th Most Miserable Country – Emokpae Laments Ahead Of Annual Wilson Badejo Lecture
Nigeria is the fourth most miserable country in Africa to live in, Dr Osaren Emokpae, chairman of the Wilson Badejo Foundation, WBF has revealed.
Speaking at a press conference in Lagos to herald the 15th annual WBF lecture, Emokpae lamented the socio-economic conditions in the country which he claimed had been worsened by the deteriorating state of security that has further heightened tension and anxiety among the populace.
GreenWhiteGreen GWG reports that the WBF was conceived in 2007 towards promoting the humanitarian inclinations of the late Dr Badejo, a veterinarian doctor who became a General Overseer of the church and on his retirement from the position was designated as Emeritus General Overseer.
He had in 2007 established the WBF along with his wife, the late Mrs. Yinka Badejo. Both clerics died in 2021 within months of one another.
Speaking ahead of the annual lecture of the foundation that was established by the Badejos to promote his humanitarian goals of promoting the well being of the less privileged ones in the society he said that the director-general of the Nigeria Institute of International Affairs, Prof Eghosa Osaghae would deliver the lecture themed around the twin problems of poverty and insecurity.
President Olusegun Obasanjo would be the father of the day at the lecture holding at the NIIA, Victoria Island, Lagos with the General Overseer of Foursquare Gospel church in Nigeria Rev Sam Aboyeji as chairman.
Speaking ahead of the lecture, Emokpae lamented the degeneration of the living standards of Nigerians even as he vouched the readiness of the WBF to extend its tentacles within the availability of resources available to it.
Noting the increasing misery of Nigerians as reflected in the rise in the misery index, Dr Emokpae said:
“According to Hanke’s Annual Misery Index, a global economic study of countries conducted by Steve Hanke, a professor of applied economics at Johns Hopkins University, Maryland, United States, in 2021, Nigeria fared abysmally in all the misery index parameters and was the fourth most miserable country in Africa only better than Sudan, Zimbabwe and Angola.
“The high misery indices of Sudan, Zimbabwe and Angola are understandable. Sudan was for many years wrecked by civil strife, Zimbabwe is yet to recover from the atrocities of the Robert Mugabe era while Angola’s oil wealth has been plundered by its successive leaders.
“The reasons for the Nigeria’s high misery index are obvious. The Buhari’s economic policies are delivering pains for the majority. Since he assumed office in 2015, the country has witnessed two recessions. In 2020, Nigeria recorded a negative growth of -1.8 per cent. It was -1.6 per cent in 2016. For a country of about 211 million struggling with a GDP of $432.29 billion (2020), this translates to mass deprivation.”
Reflective of the country’s poor score in the misery index, Dr Emokpae also noted the low life expectancy in Nigeria compared to South Africa and Egypt.
While life-expectancy is 55, Egyptians and South Africans are expected to live 72 years and 65 years respectively, Dr. Emokpae said.
“This indicates that Egyptians and South Africans live about 17 and 9 years respectively longer than their Nigerian counterparts.”
Proffering solutions, he said:
“The government should explore innovative ways of addressing healthcare delivery in the country, in a manner that focuses on partnership between states, the private sector, and the huge talent of Nigerian health professionals in the diaspora.
“Also, it is time for Nigeria’s leadership to start building in Nigeria those hospitals in Dubai and London they so delight to patronize and spare the country the costs and the ignominy of depending on other countries for the healthcare services they should be providing Nigerians here at home. In the event of a heart attack, London would certainly be too far to save anyone!”
Also expected as guests of honour are Mr Femi Adesina – Special Adviser to the President; Mr Obaro – Founder of Systemsspec; Dr Godwin Ehigiamusoe, CEO of LAPO Group; Dr Iyi Uwadiae, Former Registrar of WAEC and Chairman of Governing council ED–JOHN Institute of Management and Technology. Several other eminent personalities will grace the occasion.
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