Kabiru Danladi Lawanti

With a population of about 150 million and more than one-fifth of Africa’s total population, Nigeria represent the sad story of the failure of most developing countries to meet the MDGs by the stipulated time of 2015. Although there are indications in some quarters, especially in Asia and Latin America, that the MDGs are achievable, available statistics in Nigeria indicate otherwise. In September, 2000, 189 world leaders gathered in New York for the Millennium Summit and pledged to meet certain goals by 2015. These goals are what is referred to as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The goals include a 50% reduction in poverty and hunger, universal primary education, reduction of child mortality by two-thirds, cutbacks in maternal mortality by three-quarters, promotion of gender equality, and reversal of the spread of HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases. In September, 2005 the summit met again to review progress towards the goals and set the development agenda for the next dec...

What started as a one man problem has now metamorphosed into a national catastrophe. Few saw it this way. The Boko Haram crises started as a minor problem of a state Governor, who used them to achieve his political objectives, when he was through with them he tried to discard them. Ali Modu Sherrif should be held responsible for the boko haram crises in Borno State. He started it and therefore he should come and partake in solving the problem. In Nigeria we are fond of cover-ups. One singular incidence that led to the escalation of the Boko Haram violence in Maiduguri and now to other places in Nigeria was the extra-judicial killing of its leader, Mallam Muhammadu Yusuf last year. Confirming this killing, the spokesperson of the Police, Isa Azare proudly told news men in Maiduguri, sometimes in July 2009 “He has been killed”. He was even inviting reporters to follow him and see the police ‘heroic’ job. “You can come and see his body at the state police command headquart...