A former Governor of Ondo State, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, has described the mass emigration of skilled professionals, particularly in the health sector, as a signpost of a conquered country, with an appeal to the government to implement clear policies with urgency to reverse the trend.

Mimiko, who emphasised that an enabling environment that retains skilled professionals for national development should be created, said that Africa, and Nigeria in particular, must confront the reality that it has transitioned from being “involuntarily conquered to voluntarily conquered.”

The former governor stated this while delivering a lecture titled “Conqueror, Conquered and Consequences: A Discourse on Brain Drain” at an event to mark the 81st birthday of Senator Bode Olajumoke in Akure.

Mimiko, in the lecture organised by the Bode Olajumoke Education and Hospitality Initiative, said the implementation of the 15 per cent budgetary allocation to health as in the Abuja 2021 declaration is one needed step that has to be taken as opposed to the five per cent maximum ever allocated to health thus far.

The former governor, while stressing that huge human and material losses are the lot of the emigrating destinations, which renders famed gains almost inconsequential in the long run, said that the impact of such gains on Africa and Nigerian society might have been largely eroded by illicit financial flows from Africa and the unquantifiable toll of incompetence on the health sector as a result of the emigration of the brightest and best.

Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, who was represented by his Deputy, Dr Olayide Adelami, lamented that “poverty, inequality and lack of access to education and healthcare are just a few of the pressing issues that require collective attention and actions.

Aiyedatiwa said: “It is in this context that Senator Olajumoke’s legacy serves as a beacon of hope and inspiration. His commitment to serving others, guided by his faith and values, has made a lasting impact on countless lives.

Aiyedatiwa, who lauded Mimiko for the paper delivered, noted that “the topic is both timely and relevant, as it speaks to the challenges of talent retention and development in the society. It is particularly relevant.

He, however, pledged the state government’s collaboration with the Bode Olajumoke Education and Hospitality Initiative in any way possible.

The celebrant, Olajumoke, who thanked God for sparing his life, prayed that God would give him a long life to continue to impact lives and also appreciated Aiyedatiwa and others for celebrating him.