Brain drain: Harness local expertise, Academy charges FG, states

… Says Nigeria has intellect, manpower to fix health sector By Sola Ogundipe The Academy of Medical Sciences of Nigeria has called on federal and state governments to tap into the expertise of the country’s leading medical scholars to strengthen health policies, improve healthcare delivery and address the persistent loss of skilled professionals to other countries.

The President of The Academy, Emeritus Professor Osato Frank Giwa-Osagie, said Nigeria had a wealth of medical expertise and scientific knowledge that remained underutilised, despite the contributions of Nigerian-trained professionals to health systems and institutions around the world. Speaking at a pre-convocation press briefing in Lagos, Giwa-Osagie described the Academy as a national think tank ready to provide evidence-based advice to government and public institutions on critical health issues.

“We have the expertise, Nigeria has the brain power and the manpower,” he said, urging authorities to make better use of the country’s pool of experienced medical professionals. The Academy can provide experts to serve on government committees, lead technical teams and offer policy guidance across different areas of medicine and public health,” he said.

According to him, Nigeria must create an environment in which highly trained professionals can contribute meaningfully at home rather than being compelled to seek opportunities abroad. “When younger professionals ask for my advice, when they have already decided they are emigrating, I tell them, don’t just emigrate because of the money or the school,” he said, adding that those who leave should also participate in the political and civic life of their host countries,” he said.

For Giwa-Osagie, Nigeria needed to recognise the value of its medical scholars and create opportunities for them to contribute to national development. “We are there, ready to serve,” he said, urging government institutions to draw on the Academy’s expertise when making decisions that affect the country’s health system.” Beyond the challenge of retaining medical professionals, Giwa-Osagie stressed the need to strengthen disease surveillance and emergency preparedness across all states, warning against concentrating response capacity in Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory.

He noted that Nigeria had previously benefited from the ability of its health authorities to identify and respond to imported infectious disease threats, but argued that the country could not afford to rely on the preparedness of only a few locations. “It shouldn’t be just Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory that are strengthening. All the states will be empowered and assisted to have structures on the ground to identify these incursions into our healthcare,” he said.

His remarks came as the Academy announced plans for its 2026 convocation, featuring a scientific conference on the genetics and genomics of non-communicable diseases, induction of 13 new Fellows, the investiture of a new president and the presentation of its inaugural Gold Medal Award to Professor Okechukwu Samuel Ogah, a cardiologist at the University of Ibadan.

He called for stronger support from federal health authorities and the standardisation of procedures for identifying, reporting and managing suspected cases.