Nigeria: the myth of achieving the millennium goals

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 decade. Nigeria was part of the review and with just 4 years to the initial target, one will not be wrong if he says Nigeria is far from achieving the goals.

Endowed with abundant natural and human resources, Nigeria represents a huge gap of achieving the Millennium Goals. Available statistics indicate that poverty in Nigeria remains pervasive, multifaceted, and chronic. The national poverty profile has been on the rise with more than half of the population (70%) living on less than a dollar a day. With a per capita income of barely $300, the country remains among the 20 poorest nations of the world and 20% of Africa’s poor are Nigerian. It is also clear that reducing child mortality by two-third remains a mirage, according to DFID report of 2009, one in five children die before the age of 5 and World Health Organisation Ranked Nigeria as 187th out of 191 member states. Both DFID and Save the Children characterise Nigeria’s Primary Healthcare as being in a state of collapse. With almost 8 million school age children out of school, the country is off-track in achieving UBE. The neglect of agricultural sector spells doom for the country’s effort to achieve food security.

These are some of the problems the MDGs are facing in Nigeria. Coupled with lack of political will, corruption, weak infrastructure and greedy elites, the achievement of MDGs in Nigeria remains a myth. Another major problem of the achievement of the MDGs in Nigeria as Igbuzor puts it, is the challenge of having accurate, reliable, credible and believable statistics. As reports provided by the MDG office in Nigeria on the progress made towards achieving the MDGs was highly criticised by Civil Society Organisations as not reflecting reality on ground. This is not farther from the truth. Considering the fact that all over Nigeria, there is hardly any city that can boast of having access to clean water.

Visit any public school, whether primary or secondary school, which accommodates large chunk of children of the poor, what greets you is dilapidated structures, crowded classes and want needs not to ask about the quality of the schools’ teaching staff. It was reported in the media recently that the Kano state Governor, Rabi’u Kwankwaso almost shed tears when he visited one of such schools in Kano metropolis. Our hospitals, especially the so-called specialists’ hospitals in the states are mere consulting centres. Majority of our Governors and public officials fly to Egypt, Germany or India to cure small ailments. Even the referral hospitals and teaching hospitals are below the minimum standard of a standard hospital.

Achieving the Millennium Goals in Nigeria needs more than rhetoric but deliberate policies, commitments and people’s involvement in the planning and execution of any development policy. It also needs investment in health, education and economic development. We need real commitment to democracy, good governance and social justice and respect for human rights. Our political leaders on their part need to really sacrifice and show readiness to change their ways. It is one thing to talk about commitment to change and another to practicalise it.

Unless that is achieved, Nigeria’s achievement of MDGs will remain a myth, not in 2015 but in 50 years time.

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