Health Economist Onoka Stresses Poor-Focused Systems as Nigeria’s Conscience Test

A health systems economist, Chima Ariel Onoka, has described a health system that serves the poor as the ultimate test of Nigeria’s national conscience, amid debates on the country’s healthcare future.

Onoka, professor of public health and health systems economics with extensive academic and public service experience, will deliver the University of Nigeria’s (UNN) 241st Inaugural Lecture on May 14, 2026, at the Enugu campus.

Onoka earned a MBBS from UNN and a PhD in health systems economics from the University of London. He is also a fellow of the West African College of Physicians.
A veteran voice in health policy, Onoka describes his career as that of a “pracademic”—a scholar who engages beyond the classroom in public service.
His lecture, titled “Bridging the Divide: The Pracademic’s Mandate in the Quest for Universal Health Coverage,” arrives during urgent discussions on Nigeria’s healthcare direction.

In it, he states that “a health system that works for the poor is the ultimate test of a nation’s conscience.”

The central thesis of Onoka’s address warns leaders and researchers alike: “Information without advocacy is inert. Advocacy without evidence is dangerous.”

With over 200 million Nigerians lacking reliable health coverage, he argues that UHC serves as the key to reducing poverty and building a productive society.

However, he emphasises that achieving it requires courage for real reform and discipline to prioritise facts over political convenience.
The lecture is expected to draw a high-level audience, including policymakers, healthcare administrators, and academic leaders, to UNN’s Enugu campus.