Nigeria Is Fighting Diseases Too Late: Why Prevention Needs Prevention Experts -By Arise Victor Oluwaseyifunmi

Nigeria’s greatest health crisis is not simply inadequate healthcare. It is the persistent failure to prevent diseases before they become medical emergencies. The evidence is already before us. According to the World Health Organization, 63.7% of all deaths in Nigeria result from communicable, maternal, perinatal and nutritional conditions. These are conditions largely preventable through effective surveillance, health promotion, vaccination, sanitation, early detection and coordinated public health interventions. Yet prevention remains the weakest pillar of Nigeria’s health system.

WHO data further reveal that lower respiratory infections kill 89.7 Nigerians per 100,000 population, while malaria claims another 84.2 deaths per 100,000. Diarrhoeal diseases account for 69.9 deaths, and tuberculosis contributes 57.7 deaths per 100,000 population. These are not rare diseases. They remain Nigeria’s leading killers despite decades of public health programmes. At the same time, Nigeria recorded over 152,000 new cancer cases in 2024, while nearly 293,000 Nigerians were living with cancer diagnosed within the previous five years. The country also maintains one of the world’s lowest life expectancies at approximately 55 years. These statistics expose a troubling national reality. Nigeria continues investing overwhelmingly in treating diseases while neglecting the systems designed to prevent them. A healthcare system cannot claim success when preventable diseases remain its leading causes of death. 

The imbalance is also reflected within our institutions and health workforce. Nigeria has established public health departments and agencies at the federal, state and local government levels. Their mandates are fundamentally preventive, focusing on surveillance, epidemiology, health promotion, disease prevention, emergency preparedness and population health. These responsibilities are fundamentally different from clinical medicine.

Clinical practice focuses on diagnosing and treating individual patients. Public health focuses on preventing diseases, protecting populations and reducing health risks before people become patients. Both are indispensable. Both save lives. Both demand different expertise. Yet many preventive institutions remain predominantly led by clinicians, despite Nigeria producing professionals specifically trained in Public Health who are equipped with knowledge on Epidemiology, Health Promotion, Disease Surveillance and Control. The unavoidable question is if Nigeria has professionals specifically trained for prevention, why are preventive institutions not routinely led by prevention specialists?

Recent events also raise important questions about the effectiveness of national public health communication. The World Health Organization declared the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 17 May 2026. Nigeria’s national public preparedness advisory by the National Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) followed on 28 May 2026. During public health emergencies, every day matters. Timely communication strengthens preparedness, guides public action and builds confidence. Equally concerning is the limited routine public reporting on several priority diseases through the NCDC surveillance platforms. Disease surveillance should not only collect information. It should communicate risks consistently, transparently and without unnecessary delays.

The consequences are very serious as preventive institutions lose the expertise of professionals specifically trained in population health, while hospitals lose desperately needed clinical manpower. Patients endure longer waiting times, healthcare workers become increasingly overstretched, burnout intensifies, communities remain vulnerable, and preventable diseases continue claiming thousands of lives every year. 

Nigeria does not need one profession leading every component of healthcare. It needs the right professionals leading the right responsibilities. Clinicians should be empowered to focus primarily on clinical care, where shortages remain critical. Public health professionals should lead prevention, surveillance, health promotion and population health programmes. This is not about professional rivalry, it is about professional competence, role clarity and efficient workforce planning.

Nigeria cannot continue expecting clinicians to lead both curative and preventive healthcare while struggling to meet the country’s enormous clinical demands. The nation’s mortality statistics have already identified the problem. Government must now align its workforce with the solution. Until prevention becomes a true national priority by placing the right professionals at the forefront, preventable diseases will continue claiming lives that should never have been lost.

THE COST OF INACTION IS TOO HIGH!

Arise Victor Oluwaseyifunmi 
Writer & Author | Young Academic
Public Health Researcher 
Health Systems Reform Advocate | Pan-Africanist