Nigeria Has 38 Healthcare Systems – Decentralization Is Their Lifeline
As I digested The Punch newspaper interview titled “ Nigeria Drifting into Unitarism, True federalism Way out”, which was granted by one of Nigeria’s legal icons and former President, Nigeria Bar Association, Chief Wole Olanipekun, OFR, CFR, SAN, and published on 25th June 2025, I couldn’t but mull over my book “DIAL 811: DEFT or DAFT?” published in 2022. Incidentally, I was privileged to have Chief Wole Olanipekun write the foreword of the book, which already pontificates our shared position on decentralization. Nevertheless, his recent media reflections bring this important conversation to the fore of national discourse in my professional sector - healthcare . It is worth noting that I coined “DIAL 811” as a relatable acronym for Decentralization Is A Lifeline for 811 federating units. When disaggregated, these 811 units are 36 States, 1 Federal Capital Territory and 774 Local Government Areas – all recognized by the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of ...