Varsities should drive solutions to Nigeria’s problems, says Odigie

By Beifoh Osewele

A challenge has been thrown to Nigerian universities to evolve beyond their traditional roles of teaching and research to become centres for practical solutions to the country’s pressing socio-economic and healthcare challenges.

Delivering the 366th Inaugural Lecture of the University of Benin (UNIBEN), Professor of General Surgery, Vincent Odigie, called on tertiary institutions to establish drug manufacturing units to stimulate research, promote local pharmaceutical production and reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported medicines.

“There should be a drug manufacturing unit in every university,” Odigie declared, arguing that universities must translate knowledge into innovations capable of addressing national needs.

According to him, universities should no longer be content with producing graduates and scholarly publications but must also become hubs for manufacturing, innovation and technological advancement that directly impact society.

The professor said university-based pharmaceutical production would not only strengthen medical research but also improve access to affordable medicines, create employment opportunities and enhance Nigeria’s health security.

Odigie also advocated a stronger and more inclusive universal health insurance system to protect Nigerians from catastrophic medical expenses, insisting that poverty remains the greatest obstacle to quality healthcare.

He noted that many patients die not because treatment is unavailable but because they cannot afford it.

“Late presentation is not as a result of ignorance. It is as a result of poverty,” he said.

The renowned surgeon further proposed a technology-driven emergency response system that would enable patients to summon ambulances through a mobile application, with the cost covered by the National Health Insurance Scheme.

“A sick patient should be able to call an Uber ambulance, and the National Health Insurance Scheme should pay,” he said.

He argued that emergency healthcare should never depend on whether patients or their families have cash at hand, stressing that technology must play a greater role in strengthening Nigeria’s healthcare delivery system.

Drawing from his 46 years of surgical practice, Odigie urged governments, universities and the private sector to collaborate in building a resilient healthcare system driven by innovation, research and sustainable financing.