- Bill Gates wants Nigerian leaders to gear up by telling themselves the truth
- Gates laments the investment in the country's younger people
- He says he wanted to provoke a debate and he achieved that with his earlier comments when he visited Nigeria
Days after visiting Nigeria, the world’s second richest man, Bill Gates, has spoken exclusively with the Cable News Network (CNN) lamenting that the federal government’s investment in the younger people was not good enough.
Gates, who owns a foundation with his wife, Melinda, specifically mentioned areas where the Nigerian government has not measured up to include health and education.
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“As a partner in Nigeria, I am saying the current plan is inadequate. Nigeria has all these young people and the current quality and quantity of investment in these young generations; in health and education just isn’t good enough. So, I was very direct.
“If they can get health and education right, they will be an engine of growth not just for themselves but for all of Africa,” he told the CNN.
“The current quality and quantity of investment in this young generation in health and education just isn't good enough. So I was very direct,” Gates reportedly added saying he wanted to spark action and debate and had really done that.
Gates also tweeted late Monday, March 26, that he was excited to be in Nigeria.
NAIJ.com earlier reported that Bill Gates, on Thursday, March 22, said that Nigeria is one of the most dangerous places in the world to give birth, with the fourth worst maternal mortality rate in the world.
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Gates stated this at the expanded National Economic Council alongside the chairman of the Dangote Foundation, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, and presided over by the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, at the old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
NAIJ.com also earlier reported that during his address when he visited Nigeria, Bill Gates spoke comprehensively on the country's economy and offered pragmatic suggestions on how to move the country forward.
He unequivocally tasked the Nigerian government to focus on investments in human capital development, specifically mentioning health and education.
He said: “Nigeria has unmatched economic potential, but what becomes of that potential depends on the choices you make as Nigeria’s leaders.
“The most important choice you can make is to maximize your greatest resource, the Nigerian people. Nigeria will thrive when every Nigerian is able to thrive.
“If you invest in their health, education, and opportunities—the 'human capital' we are talking about today—then they will lay the foundation for sustained prosperity. If you don’t, however, then it is very important to recognize that there will be a sharp limit on how much the country can grow.”
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Source: Naija.ng