Chancellor, University of Ilorin Prof Wahab Egbewole SAN; VC Lagos State University of Education and Keynote Speaker, Prof Bidemi Lafiagi-Okuneye; local government education secretaries; stakeholders and students in the healthcare sector.

Prof Lafiagi-Okuneye, for her part, implored the government at all levels to see health education not as an optional add-on or an ancillary service, but as a strategic imperative for sustainable national development.

She also called for an adequate investment in the sector, its full integration across relevant sectors, and provision of a robust, enabling policy environment for it to truly flourish.

“A healthy nation is indeed a wealthy nation, and effective health education is an unshakeable keystone of that foundation,” she said.

Earlier in his remarks, President of NAHE, Prof Shehu Raheem Adaramaja, said the conference sought to understand the multi dimensional aspects of health and illness behaviours, adapt health education approaches to meet contemporary challenges, and strengthen the integration of health education into Nigeria’s healthcare system for better outcomes.

Adaramaja, who is the Chairman, Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), said despite the progress in the Nigerian healthcare system, the sector is still facing low health literacy and inadequate prioritization of preventive health education among other challenges.

He pointed out the need to continue to leverage technology, community engagement and policy advocacy towards seeing health education as a tool for behavioural change and sustainable health development.