Professor of Paediatric Cardiology at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, John Akíntúndé Òkèníyì, has called for a comprehensive overhaul of Nigeria’s child healthcare system, urging sustained investment in paediatric cardiology, stronger primary healthcare, and expanded specialist training to reduce preventable childhood deaths.
Professor Òkèníyì made the call while delivering the university’s inaugural lecture titled “State of the Heart: Echoes from Paediatrics, Pulsations, and Purpose,” where he reflected on more than two decades of clinical practice, research, teaching, and healthcare leadership dedicated to improving child survival in Nigeria.
Òkèníyì, the Chief Medical Director of the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex (OAUTHC), Ile-Ife, argued that the condition of the child’s heart, both as a vital organ and as a metaphor for compassion, justice, and national responsibility, should remain central to healthcare planning and public policy.
According to him, Nigeria can only improve its child health outcomes through deliberate investment in preventive
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