MEETING THE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT AGENDA IN NIGERIA

In the year 2000, Nigeria and 188 other countries endorsed the millennium development goals MDGs, agreed to work together to end extreme poverty within 15yrs. They also set other specific targets on education, child mortality, maternal health, disease, environmental sustainability and global partnership for development. Half way the target year 2015, assessment of global performance shows that 33 countries are on track meet the infant mortality goal, 44 are likely to meet the poverty goal and 47 can meet the education goal. Reaching the millennium development goals in Africa to which most developing countries belong is very critical to the global success in this regard.

Nigeria which accounts for 1/5th of the population of the continent has been described as the giant of Africa. However, despite the country’s enormous resources, 92.4% of the Nigerian population lives in poverty on less than 2 dollars per day, which 70.8% lives in extreme poverty on less than 1 dollar per day. One-third of children in Nigeria are malnourished. Nigeria remains among the poorest countries in the world regardless of her riches in crude oil which price costs the 100 dollar per barrel mark in December 2007.

Despite the huge petro-dollar income, the income poverty is increasing among the generality of Nigerians, whereas the cost of governance is skyrocketing. Lack of jobs is pushing increasing number of Nigerian youths into the commercial motor bike transport business, while a regrettable number of them encounter road mishaps on daily basis. Graduate unemployment has occasioned sophisticated cunnings and social vices of alarming dimensions. There is high rate of deterioration of infrastructure amid very poor maintenance culture. The power sector is in crises and cannot drive meaningful development.

If Nigeria must achieve the millennium development goals, there is the need to chat turning course. We must eschew waste and corrupt practices in governance which dictate endemic poverty in a country so naturally endowed with abundant resources. Political leaders need to change from selfish mindset to people oriented attitude. There must be joining efforts to train the teachers to man this course, the doctors and nurses for the health system and the engineers to build and maintain infrastructure.

Government at all levels must stop paying leap service to industrial development. Efforts should also be made to make the nation’s micro, small and medium scale enterprises flourish so that they will create sustainable jobs to boost incomes for the people. With dedication and purposeful drive, the millennium development goals are achievable human tasks that can be reached by Nigerians.

And like Professor Charles says, we can still achieve the millennium development goals; this is not the time to loose hope; this is the time to get thing done.

Dr MH Arab