Abstract
Nigeria’s aspiration for national greatness hinges on the effective development of its human resources, as human capital remains the most critical driver of economic growth and productivity. This study examines the role of human resource development in achieving Nigeria’s greatness by assessing the impact of government expenditure on education, health, and related social services on economic growth between 1991 and 2023. Using secondary data obtained from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the study employed the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) bounds testing approach to determine both short-run and long-run relationships among variables. The results reveal a significant long-run co-integrating relationship between gross domestic product (GDP) and human capital indicators such as education, health expenditure, gross fixed capital formation, and school enrollment. Findings indicate that education and health investments have a substantial positive effect on economic growth, while school enrollment at all levels contributes to productivity, though with varying impacts. However, challenges such as underemployment, brain drain, and skill mismatch continue to limit the full potential of human capital in driving sustainable development. The study concludes that Nigeria’s path to greatness lies in prioritizing human resource development through increased investment in education and health, skill-based learning, and curriculum reform emphasizing technical and practical competencies aligned with national industrial needs.
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