Bill Gates criticizes Buhari for failing to address the real needs of Nigerians

The Nigerian government has been heavily criticized by the world’s second richest man, Bill Gates for failing to improve the basic infrastructural elements needed to enhance the lives of people in the country.

According to Gates, who is the co-chairman of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the execution process of the Economic and Recovery Growth plan launched by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2017 to restore the country’s economy does not reflect the needs of the people.

He was speaking at the expanded national economic council presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Thursday.

“Nigeria is one of the most dangerous places in the world to give birth with the fourth worst maternal mortality rate in the world ahead of only Sierra Leone, Central African Republic and Chad. One in three Nigerian children is chronically malnourished.

“The Nigerian government’s economic recovery and growth plan identify investing in our people as one of three strategic objectives. But the execution priorities don’t fully reflect people’s needs, prioritizing physical capital over human capital,” he was quoted by local media, The Cable.

“To anchor the economy over the long term, investments in infrastructure and competitiveness must go hand in hand with investments in people. “People without roads, ports, and factories can’t flourish. And roads, ports and factories without skilled workers to build and manage them can’t sustain an economy.”

The Nigerian government has since assured that it would deal with the challenges mentioned.

“One of the primary planks of our economic recovery and growth plan is ‘investing in people’; and it is for this reason that we are expanding the reach and quality of our healthcare through the National Health Insurance Scheme and working to guarantee basic education for all persons whilst also upgrading and modernising the quality of secondary and post-secondary education. We are engaged fully as a government in particular and as governments in the various states to ensure that we are able to address some of these concerns,” the vice president, Yemi Osinbajo was quoted by local media Daily Post.

Meanwhile, many have been reacting to the billionaire’s comment on Twitter: