ENUGU, NIGERIA — On 14 May 2026, the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus (UNEC) will host what promises to be one of the most exciting academic engagements in recent Nigerian health policy discourse. Professor Chima Ariel Onoka, Professor of Public Health and Health Systems Economics, and a leading expert, will deliver his inaugural lecture titled:

“Bridging the Divide: The Pracademic’s Mandate in the Quest for Universal Health Coverage in Nigeria.”

The lecture holds at the CBN Auditorium at a defining moment for Nigeria’s health sector. Millions of Nigerians remain one medical bill away from financial ruin — not because the evidence for reform is absent, but because that evidence has not yet cleared the bottleneck. Professor Onoka calls this the neck of the hourglass: the narrow intersection where power, politics, and financing must align to turn rigorous academic work into lived reality for ordinary citizens.

The Pracademic Perspective

Professor Onoka occupies a distinct position in Nigeria’s intellectual landscape. As a Pracademic — a scholar who is emersed in the practice ecosystem — he has spent over two decades ensuring that health economics does not remain an academic exercise. He has studied and contributed to the reforms in various health-related institutions in Nigeria, advised on health financing reforms, and advocated persistently for equitable coverage for Nigeria’s informal sector and the vulnerable.

“Universal Health Coverage is not just a health goal. It is a mandate for economic justice. This lecture is an invitation to look honestly at the power behind the policy — and to chart a clear path forward.”