American businessman and philanthropist, Mr. Bill Gates, has raised concern over the high rate of child deaths in northern Nigeria.

He warned that one in six children born in the region does not live to see their fifth birthday.

Gates, who spoke in an interview ahead of the Gates Foundation’s annual Goalkeepers’ event in New York, described the statistic as a wake-up call for governments and development partners to act with urgency.

“A kid born in northern Nigeria has a 15 per cent chance of dying before the age of five. You can either be part of improving that or act like that does not matter,” he said.

To bolster the global fight against preventable diseases, he said the Gates Foundation has pledged $912 million to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria for the 2026 to 2028 cycle. The funding is expected to sustain interventions that have already cut child deaths by half worldwide since the Year 2000 – from about 10 million annually to fewer than 5 million.

Mr. Gates cautioned that the years of progress made so far are at risk, with international health funding dropping by more than 20 per cent in the last year to its lowest point in 15 years.

He stressed that philanthropy cannot replace the government’s responsibility.

“I am not capable of making up for what the government cuts, and I do not want to create an illusion of that,” he said.

Gates urged governments to strengthen primary healthcare, expand vaccine access, and deploy new medical innovations, insisting that millions more children could be saved by 2045 if leaders recommitted to proven strategies.

Nigeria remains among the countries with the highest child mortality burden, especially in the northern states, where weak health systems, poverty, and insecurity limit access to life-saving care.

Reacting to Gates’ warning, a senior official at the Federal Ministry of Health, who spoke in confidence, acknowledged the challenge but said efforts were underway to change the narrative.

“We are scaling up routine immunization, revitalizing primary healthcare centres, and working with partners, like the Gates Foundation, to close gaps in child survival.

“The figures are worrying, but they reinforce why the government must stay the course,” the official said.

UNICEF Nigeria also stressed the urgency of the situation. In a recent report, the global agency noted that child survival in the country “is closely tied to stronger health systems, clean water, nutrition, and security”.

It called for more investment at the federal and state levels. (The Nation)