Former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo has launched a stinging critique of the country’s health system, warning that millions of citizens continue to die from preventable conditions due to lack of access to basic services.
Speaking at the unveiling of the Care365 Health Hub in Abuja on Tuesday, Obasanjo said it was “unacceptable” that in the 21st century, a child in Nigeria could still die of malaria because her mother could not afford the journey to the nearest clinic.
“Health care was never meant to be a luxury for the privileged or the urban elite. It was to be a fundamental right,” he said. “Millions of Nigerians still walk miles to reach a health post. Still, many die from preventable situations, and still more live where the nearest doctor is hours away, reachable only by bad roads.”
The Care365 hub, conceived in the US and now launched in Nigeria, is designed to expand access to healthcare through technology. Its flagship innovation, the Health Monitoring Kiosk, allows users to check vital signs such as blood pressure, blood sugar, BMI, and oxygen levels in minutes, without needing to see a doctor.
Obasanjo, who chaired the event, said the project had the potential to transform healthcare delivery, particularly in rural areas. “This is not a favour to the poor. It is our responsibility as leaders, policymakers, and patriots,” he said.
He called on the federal and state governments to integrate Care365 into primary health and emergency systems, insisting that new technologies must serve to “uplift, not isolate” citizens.
The launch was chaired by another former head of state, Gen Abdulsalami Abubakar, who cautioned that the initiative marked “the beginning of the problem” rather than its end, stressing the need for broad support to sustain it.
Nigeria’s coordinating health minister, Muhammad Pate, described the hub as “a practical, innovative solution” that could not only improve access but also create jobs.
Ngozi Odumuko, CEO and founder of Care365, said the goal was to make healthcare affordable, accessible, and high-quality, drawing on models in the US, Canada, and the UK. “Care for citizens matters a lot,” she said.
