Nigeria’s healthcare challenges cannot be resolved through prayers or wishful thinking alone, the Minister of Health, Prof. Ali Pate, has said, stressing that lasting reforms must be anchored on science, research and evidence-based policies.
Pate made this known on Monday in Abuja while speaking at the SPARK Translational Research Boot Camp Conference.
The minister cautioned that faith without scientific discipline would not deliver meaningful progress across the healthcare sector, noting that countries that have successfully strengthened their healthcare value chains relied on research-driven approaches.
“To unlock the healthcare value chain, wherever it has been done, it has had to be based on science. You can’t just pray your way through it. You can’t hope your way through it,” Pate said.
“You have to have the discipline of scientific enquiry, grounded in evidence, to move across the value chain. That ecosystem is what government can help to build, working with the private sector and partners, both local and international.”
He explained that global gains in life expectancy, disease control and quality of life were achieved through sustained scientific research and application of the scientific method.
“Science and scientific enquiry are fundamental to the advancement of human societies. Improvements in life expectancy, quality of life and reductions in morbidity and mortality all came through scientific enquiry,” he added.
Pate noted that Nigeria is currently undergoing multiple transitions, including rapid population growth, rising non-communicable diseases, economic shifts and fast-paced technological development.
“Thirty or forty years ago, the focus was mainly on infectious diseases. Today, non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancers and neurological conditions account for a significant share of morbidity and mortality,” he said.
He also expressed concern over growing anti-science sentiments, particularly vaccine scepticism, warning that misinformation could erode decades of public health gains.
According to him, excessive reliance on social media and short attention spans are fuelling shallow opinions and the spread of anti-science movements.
“Technology, if not properly governed, is undermining our ability to use the very tools that help society manage change,” Pate warned.
Earlier, the Director-General of the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), Dr Obi Adigwe, called for renewed global commitment to defending science against misinformation, politicisation and underfunding.
Adigwe described science as vital to public health, economic growth and national security, urging governments not to treat research as expendable.
“Science is not a partisan tool but a universal language of truth. Resources must be directed toward translational research that directly improves lives, especially for the most vulnerable,” he said.
Nigeria’s healthcare system continues to grapple with challenges such as weak infrastructure, increasing non-communicable diseases and limited local research capacity. Recent initiatives, including the Health Sector Real Investment Initiative, are aimed at improving governance, expanding healthcare services and strengthening the healthcare value chain.
Elijah Adeyemi
