Our young population is our greatest asset— Omilola Oshikoya

By Ebunoluwa Sessou

Cherie Blair Foundation Mentee Alumni and convener, Do it Afraid conference, Omilola Oshikoya has called on Nigeria as a nation and as individuals to look beyond oil and develop other sectors that will transform the economy of Nigeria and impact the world, stating that in Nigeria as in Singapore, the true natural resource is the people.

In a statement to select media, she said the citizens of Nigeria are its national treasure and most valuable resources, adding that the fact that we have a young population is one of our greatest advantages while on the other hand, many first world countries like Canada and Singapore have ageing populations and this is why they are very bullish on immigration and encouraging fertility.

“With this in mind, two key sectors Nigeria needs to invest in are education and healthcare. Our education system is currently out dated and no longer effective. We can make Nigeria the premier education hub of Africa, the new Global School House and position Nigeria as a choice location for quality education for a growing African middle class”.

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She further called on Nigeria to mirror Singapore by investing in basic education with emphasis on technical skills relevant to the Information/Digital Age, revealing that Singapore currently focuses on only English, the mother tongue, Maths and Science. The wealth coach also suggested the inclusion of financial literacy in the curriculum.

“We should also open up the healthcare sector. Nigeria should become a multi-faceted medical hub hosting the world’s top medical professionals and multi-national healthcare companies. Nigerians are the highest performing doctors in developed economies like the US and the UK and we should encourage them to come back home.

“This would lead to a vibrant ecosystem that creates jobs in areas from research and training,  to conventions for medical professionals both locally and abroad, in addition to a large and diverse number of good jobs in hospitals”, she stated

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