Nigeria faces a potential crisis similar to Middle East upheaval if it fails to invest seriously in developing its young population, Kelechi Ohiri warned on Thursday. The director-general of the National Health Insurance Authority said countries across that region have grappled with instability because millions of youth lack jobs, skills, and access to healthcare.
Ohiri made the remarks during a panel discussion titled "Technology, Wellbeing and Workforce Efficiency" at BusinessDay's 14th Annual CEO Forum. He argued that Africa's most populous nation is approaching a critical demographic threshold where urgent action on human development has become non-negotiable.
The panellists examined how artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, healthcare systems, and workplace wellness must work together to create a workforce equipped for tomorrow's economy. Olayinka David-West, dean of Lagos Business School and panel moderator, pressed leaders on how both government and the private sector can reshape wellbeing to drive genuine prosperity.
David-West emphasised that no economy can thrive without prioritising its workers. Nigeria's weak global standing on labour productivity metrics underscores this reality, she said.
Ohiri noted that governments typically channel resources into physical infrastructure and power generation while overlooking their greatest asset: people. He pointed to East Asian economies like Indonesia, which engineered dramatic growth decades ago through calculated investments in health, education, and population management.
Nigeria's historical neglect of human capital is now haunting businesses across the country. "Every chief executive's biggest challenge is finding talent," Ohiri said, highlighting how aggressive brain drain—particularly in healthcare—has worsened the problem.
Closing the structural gaps isn't optional, Ohiri stressed. He argued that building a resilient, competitive economy demands sustained, intentional spending in health, education, and social welfare sectors.
Without such commitment, Nigeria risks sliding into the same cycle of youth unemployment, desperation, and instability that has destabilised other regions, he warned.
