The former Rivers State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Adaeze Oreh, has called for a shift in societal attitudes towards leadership, stressing that competence, not gender should determine who leads.
Speaking at an interview with HerNetwork in commiseration of the 2026 International Women’s Day (IWD), Oreh said many societies still hold the belief that effective leadership is mainly a male responsibility. She said such thinking limits opportunities for women despite their proven abilities and contributions across sectors.
“Leadership should be based on competence, not gender,” she said, urging institutions and policymakers to recognise the capabilities of women in decision-making roles.
Oreh noted that women already play a major role in healthcare globally. According to her, women make up about 70 percent of the global health and social care workforce, delivering essential health services to billions of people.
Despite this large presence in the sector, she said many women remain concentrated in lower-paid or informal caregiving roles, while top leadership and decision-making positions are still largely dominated by men.
She added that research by international organisations such as the World Health Organization, McKinsey, and the International Monetary Fund shows that organisations with more women in leadership positions often achieve better performance and stronger results.
Oreh said Nigeria is gradually seeing progress, with several states now having women in key leadership roles in the health sector. She also noted that all three presidential advisers or special assistants on health are currently women.
However, she stressed that women remain underrepresented in many decision-making structures. She cited data showing that women accounted for about 11 percent of members of the National Council on Health in 2020, but the figure rose to 22 percent by 2025.
The former commissioner also spoke about the broader challenges affecting Nigeria’s healthcare system. According to her, the sector continues to face problems such as the migration of doctors and nurses abroad, weak primary healthcare services, poor infrastructure, and limited funding.
She also highlighted high out-of-pocket medical costs for patients, shortages of medicines, and poor coordination between different healthcare programmes.
Oreh said addressing these challenges would not only strengthen Nigeria’s health system but also position the country to lead in public health development across Africa.
She further encouraged young women to pursue careers and leadership roles in medicine, governance, and public health. According to her, many African women struggle with self-doubt because of societal expectations that often undervalue their abilities.
Oreh urged women to believe in their potential and take advantage of opportunities to contribute to national development.
She added that building a fair and effective society requires equal opportunities for women and greater representation in leadership and decision-making across sectors.
