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Life Expectancy In Nigeria Now 54 Years, Doctors Lament
Harsh living conditions in Nigeria have now put life expectancy at 54 years, the Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria (AGMPN) has said.
The association rated countries like Togo, Ghana and South Africa ahead of Nigeria in the expectancy.
Addressing a press conference in Abuja, yesterday, the President of the association, Dr Iyke Odo, said anyone who beats the age would have broken the jinx.
He, however, said that respite was underway if the government and all the stakeholders can come together to reinvent the healthcare sector.
Odo regretted the backwardness and infrastructural dilapidation in the country, saying that hitherto, Ghanaians, Saudi Arabians and Indians had Nigeria as their destination for healthcare deliveries.
He said, “Anywhere you go in the world, statistics, indices show that Nigeria has one of the lowest life expectancy rates. What does that mean? On the average, how long are you expected to live as a Nigerian given the life support, welfare system available, the quality of life, cost of living, given the leadership, environment and all that around an average Nigerian? You are expected to live for 54 years.
“And if you are more than 54, it means you have broken the jinx. You have defied Nigeria to survive more than it expects you to survive or live. Togo here has a higher life expectancy. Ghana has much higher life expectancy. Go down to South Africa, much higher. It is a burden to us as doctors.
“Take that away, maternal mortality rate, infant mortality rate, Nigeria has about the highest in the world. It is a scourge, a big dent on our collective psyche and pride as a nation. It means that more women in pregnancy die in Nigeria than they do in most part of the world. It also shows that more children under the age of 5 die in Nigeria than they do in most part of the world.
“Nigeria was ahead of India many years ago. Indians were coming to Nigeria for their healthcare. Saudi Arabia had Nigeria as a destination. The king of Saudi was coming to Ibadan with his family for treatment in the 70s. History is straight. Ghanaians, South Africans, Indians were coming here. So, what has happened? Like in any race, if the man in front gets tired sooner than he should or stumbles and falls, the competitors behind, naturally, will cruise past him. I think this is what has happened.
“Over N500billion is spent abroad by Nigerians who go abroad for treatment and go for treatment that should be given here. We have lost confidence and trust in our local care delivery.”
Odo also bemoaned the sorry state of healthcare system in Nigeria, saying that many Nigerian doctors were frustrated, a sad development he said, was pushing them to leave Nigeria in search of greener pastures.
He said, “Doctors are shutting down. Some are selling their clinics and leaving this country. It is a challenge we must all rise to as a nation. We do not have enough doctors. The few we have are leaving in droves.
“If you Interview 10 Nigerian doctors as we speak, 6 will tell you they are still because they have not found visa. It is a calamity indeed. It is the biggest disease we have now because, by the way we are going, soon, we may have to import doctors to treat Nigerians. Things are getting bad. We must act fast.
“Why are Nigerian doctors going abroad? Is it because there are no patients in Nigeria? No. There are too many here in Nigeria. We weep in our hearts because those of us who are remaining behind are overburdened. There is too much work to be done because we are working too hard with bare hand. Society changes every day and every generation meets its own challenges with its peculiar available means of serving them.
“Medicine today is not what it was 50 years ago. Now, you can sit in your house in Abuja and perform and operation on somebody in Lagos by robotics. Telemedicine has come to stay. Now, you can stay in your consulting room, watching the screen of your computer and see a patient 2000 miles away, take the history and examine him or her and do your prescription. The difference between the Nigerian doctor and his counterpart abroad is nothing more than technology. The Nigerian doctor is better trained because what you lack in equipment, you acquire in skill and physical competency.
“Nigerians go abroad and they rule and dominate. They are the best hands because they work with the skill, competency and technology. We know where the difference is. And that’s why we will continue to preach to the government to provide to not only provide this infrastructure but to support the private sector to transform the healthcare delivery system”.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted 1.63 million pills of tramadol concealed in two long trailers heading for Kano as it intensified efforts to dismantle a transnational drug trafficking syndicate operating along the Togo-Benin Republic-Nigeria corridor.
The agency also arrested an 80-year-old suspected drug dealer in Rivers State, a businesswoman linked to cannabis shipments from Canada, a Chadian woman, a couple and other suspects in coordinated operations across Lagos, Edo, Kogi and Rivers states.
The NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement, yesterday.
According to the statement, the latest intelligence-led operation came barely one week after NDLEA operatives recovered 558,900 pills of tramadol concealed in the false-bottom compartment of a truck that entered Lagos through the Togo-Benin Republic route.
Babafemi said, “Ongoing efforts to dismantle a transnational drug trafficking syndicate smuggling tramadol from Togo, through Benin Republic into Nigeria have yielded another success with the interception of two long trailers used to move One Million Six Hundred and Thirty (1,630,000) pills of tramadol 250mg concealed in fabricated compartments of the trucks across multiple borders into Lagos.”
He added that one of the two trailers was intercepted on July 2 along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, where operatives recovered 853,000 pills of tramadol 250mg concealed in a fabricated compartment beneath the cargo floor.
Babafemi said, “One of the two trucks already heading to Kano was tracked and located on 2nd July 2026 along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway where NDLEA officers recovered 853,000 pills of tramadol 250mg concealed in a fabricated compartment beneath the cargo floor of the trailer and arrested the 22-year-old driver Jabir Kabiru.”
He further disclosed that another trailer was intercepted two days later on the same route.
“Two days later, 4th July, NDLEA operatives acting on processed intelligence successfully tracked and recovered the second trailer from the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway while heading to Kano. A total of 777,000 pills of tramadol 250mg concealed in a fabricated compartment beneath the cargo floor of the truck were evacuated and the 22-year-old driver Muhammed Nuhu arrested,” the statement read.
According to Babafemi, investigations established a link between the three intercepted consignments.
He said, “Investigations revealed that all three trucks and consignments intercepted on 21st June, 2nd July and 4th July belong to the same transnational drug trafficking syndicate operating along the Togo-Benin Republic-Nigeria axis.”
The agency also intercepted 4.70 kilograms of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
Babafemi said, “Two consignments of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, with a combined weight of 4.70 kilograms have been intercepted at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos. The cargoes, which arrived the Lagos airport from Canada in cartons with ‘Odugwu’ boldly written on them, came aboard British Airways and Ethiopian Airlines flights on 24th June and 3rd July respectively.”
He said two cargo agents, Ali Rotimi Samson and Orimolade Oluwagbenga, were initially arrested in connection with the shipments, while another suspect, Edeh Onyeamachi Stanislus, was apprehended after arriving at a logistics company to take delivery of the consignments.
The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction has denied claims that it has commenced registration for a purported ?50,000 National Support Allowance.
The ministry, in a public notice posted on its official X handle, yesterday, described messages, links and websites advertising the alleged programme as fraudulent.
It urged Nigerians to disregard such claims and verify information only through official government channels.
“The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction has NOT commenced registration for any ?50,000 National Support Allowance,” the ministry said.
It added, “Disregard fraudulent messages, links and websites claiming otherwise. Verify any info only through official govt channels.”
The alert is in response to a circulating scam flyer that falsely claims the program is ongoing under President Bola Tinubu’s directives.
The fake advertisement, which includes text in Hausa and English, directs victims to a suspicious website (kluspz.com) for applications.
The ministry’s warning comes amid heightened concerns over digital fraud targeting vulnerable populations seeking social support.
Similar scams have previously surfaced around programs like N-Power, prompting questions from citizens in replies to the official post.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has expressed its preparedness for a major national struggle for a comprehensive review of the national minimum wage.
NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, hinted at this while making his remarks at the commissioning of the Comrade Godwin Abumisi Pensioners Legacy House and Multipurpose Hall in Abuja.
Ajaero said it is no longer acceptable to discuss the welfare of workers without also discussing the welfare of those who have completed their active years of service.
He advised workers and pensioners to get prepared for the ideological and economic battles that lie ahead.
According to the NLC president, “The Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) is one of the proud affiliates of the Nigeria Labour Congress. Therefore, your struggle is our struggle, and your welfare remains a priority for the organised labour movement.
“We are currently in the preparatory stages for a major national struggle for a comprehensive review of the national minimum wage.
“However, let me state unequivocally that it is no longer acceptable to discuss the welfare of workers without also discussing the welfare of those who have completed their active years of service.
“Accordingly, the Nigeria Labour Congress will not only push for a new national minimum wage but will also demand the establishment of a national minimum pension. It is a historical injustice that men and women who devoted their youth, strength and productive years to the service of this nation should be condemned to live below the poverty line after retirement.”
Ajaero noted that the cost of living has risen astronomically as food, healthcare and transportation have become increasingly unaffordable.
“We cannot continue to allow our senior citizens to survive on pensions that have become poverty wages. Every retiree deserves to live with dignity after decades of faithful service to the nation,” he said.
He urged pensioners across the country to remain united and prepared as the process begins, adding: “This Legacy House should not merely be seen as a physical structure; it should become a centre for mobilisation, strategic engagement and solidarity as we prepare for the struggles ahead.”
The NLC president pointed out that the working class has always understood that “those who exploit workers are united in advancing their interests. We too must remain united in defending our collective interests and ensuring that government fulfils its obligations to both serving workers and retirees.”
He urged pensioners across the country to remain united and prepared as the process begins, adding: “This Legacy House should not merely be seen as a physical structure; it should become a centre for mobilisation, strategic engagement and solidarity as we prepare for the struggles ahead.”
The NLC president pointed out that the working class has always understood that “those who exploit workers are united in advancing their interests. We too must remain united in defending our collective interests and ensuring that government fulfils its obligations to both serving workers and retirees.”
He said the completion of the project should serve as a clarion call to all workers and lovers of the masses.
“We must not only build physical structures but also build a strong movement capable of compelling government to honour its commitments,” he said.
Ajaero further stated: “We will continue to demand the immediate payment of all outstanding pension arrears and the implementation of a pension regime that guarantees every retiree a life of dignity and security.
“Together, we shall continue to fight until every Nigerian worker and pensioner receives the justice, respect and welfare they deserve.”