Lagos, Nigeria – On April 1, 2025, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, a prominent Nigerian politician and the 2023 Labour Party gubernatorial candidate for Lagos State, issued a scathing critique of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s recent Executive Order mandating a ₦15,000 monthly contribution from every Lagos resident for the Social Health Insurance Scheme. In a detailed post on X, Rhodes-Vivour argued that the flat-rate approach is regressive and disconnected from the economic realities of most Lagosians, while also highlighting the dire state of the state’s healthcare infrastructure. His comments have reignited discussions about the need for a state of emergency to address Lagos’ chronic healthcare shortages and systemic underfunding.
Rhodes-Vivour, an architect and public policy expert with a master’s degree from the University of Lagos, has long been an advocate for equitable healthcare access. In 2022, he collaborated with WellaHealth to provide free health checks and insurance for Lagos residents with voter cards, a move aimed at encouraging civic participation while addressing health disparities. Drawing on this experience, he emphasized that the new health insurance scheme, while well-intentioned, places an unsustainable burden on low-income earners. For minimum wage workers, the ₦15,000 contribution represents nearly 20% of their monthly income, potentially deepening economic hardship. In contrast, the same amount is negligible for middle and upper-income earners, creating what Rhodes-Vivour calls an “inherently regressive system.”