American business magnate Bill Gates, currently in Nigeria for a series of events, has expressed concerns about the country’s low tax collection, which hampers the adequate financing of critical sectors like health and education.
Speaking at an event, Gates emphasized that for citizens to trust the government’s ability to provide quality healthcare, there must be a strong commitment to ensuring that health program funding is effectively managed.
His remarks underscore the urgent need for improved tax policies to support vital public services in Nigeria.
Bill Gates said, ““Over time, there are plans for Nigeria to fund the government more than it does today. The actual tax collection in Nigeria is pretty low.
“If citizens want the education and the health things, as they develop the confidence that these programs can be very well run, and our foundation is involved with a lot of the exemplars that are showing the way in terms of making sure the money is spent well, running a very efficient primary health care system where the employees are doing great work, the centers are where they should be, you don’t have underloaded centers or overloaded centers.
“It’s exciting that we are driving the credibility of those health programs and so that the citizens will feel like primary health care is amongst the priorities that should be very funded as you get some fiscal flexibility.”