• Super Admin
• 08 Mar, 2026

The Minister of State for Health, Dr Iziak Salako has said Nigeria currently has a leader in the mould of the late nationalist Obafemi Awolowo, noting that the reforms being implemented by Bola Ahmed Tinubu are already steering the country toward economic recovery. Salako spoke on Friday while representing President Tinubu at the 2026 Obafemi Awolowo Memorial Lecture held at the Efunyela Hall in Ikenne, Ogun State. Delivering the president's remarks, the minister described Awolowo as a pioneering nationalist, federalist and visionary leader whose policies on education, healthcare and infrastructure transformed the old Western Region and laid a foundation that still shapes the development trajectory of the South-West. He noted that Awolowo's introduction of universal basic education in the Western Region in 1955, though initially resisted by colonial authorities and some parents, later became a defining policy that produced generations of educated citizens. Salako also recalled that the late sage's leadership of the Unity Party of Nigeria between 1979 and 1983 led to the implementation of the party's four cardinal programmes of free education, free healthcare, rural development and full employment across several states, setting governance benchmarks that remain influential today. Drawing parallels with the present administration, the minister said the economic reforms introduced by President Tinubu since May 2023 were bold decisions taken to prevent fiscal collapse and place Nigeria on a path of sustainable growth. According to him, key economic indicators show signs of recovery, citing a 4.23 per cent GDP growth in the second quarter of 2025, declining inflation, improved foreign reserves and a reduction in the country's debt service-to-revenue ratio. He added that the administration is also implementing major infrastructure projects, including the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway, aimed at connecting the country's geopolitical zones and boosting economic activities. On the health sector, Salako said the government's Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative had strengthened primary healthcare delivery, expanded health insurance coverage and improved maternal and child health outcomes across the country. He urged Nigerians to sustain their faith in the country and support the Tinubu administration, expressing optimism that continued reforms and collective efforts would translate into improved living conditions for citizens. Source: https://www.thetimes.com.ng/2026/03/tinubu-in-the-mould-of-awolowo-presidency/