Former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo declared that the true measure of Nigeria’s greatness lies in the welfare of its citizens, not merely economic metrics like GDP. Speaking at a leadership summit in Lagos, Osinbajo emphasized that reducing poverty, improving healthcare, and ensuring quality education for Nigeria’s 220 million people are critical benchmarks for national progress.
He cited the nation’s 63% poverty rate, with 133 million Nigerians living below $1.90 daily, and urged leaders to prioritize social investment programs over infrastructure alone, which consumes 40% of the $400 billion annual budget.
Osinbajo, who served as vice president from 2015 to 2023, drew on his oversight of the Social Investment Programmes (SIPs), which impacted 35 million Nigerians through N-Power jobs and school feeding initiatives. He noted that 20 million children remain out of school, the highest globally, and 45% of health facilities lack basic equipment, per 2024 WHO data.
He advocated for tripling education funding to 15% of the budget and expanding universal health coverage, which currently reaches only 10% of Nigerians. Osinbajo also criticized divisive ethnic narratives, citing 70% of 2024 conflicts tied to resource access, and called for unity to unlock Nigeria’s $1 trillion economic potential by 2030.
The summit, attended by 2,000 policymakers and youths, highlighted Osinbajo’s post-tenure focus on governance reform. He proposed a national welfare index to track living standards, similar to Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness model, and urged private-sector partnerships to create 5 million jobs by 2027, leveraging Nigeria’s 60% youth population. Despite 32% inflation and 3.5% GDP growth in 2025, Osinbajo’s vision aligns with 80% of Nigerians prioritizing welfare over wealth