Connect with us

Global Issues

Millennium Development Goals: A performance review for NIGERIA!

Published

on

MDG goal

MDG-goal

Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are 8 international goals that were officially established following the millennium summit of the United Nations in 2000, as well as the adoption of the United Nation Millennium Declaration. The MDGs caught the world’s imagination from the very day they were agreed by a record of 189 countries and 23 international organization at the UN General Assembly in September 2000, agreed to achieving those target. Nigeria was an enthusiastic signatory to the MDGs and has claimed to pursue them vigorously since then, though with varying degrees of success. While MDGs are for all mankind, they are primarily about children, in part because children are the most vulnerable when essentials like food, water, and healthcare are scarce. Children are always the first victims, six of the eight goals relates directly to children.

The aim of MDGs is to encourage development by improving social and economic conditions in the world’s poorest countries. The millennium declaration produced by the United Nations, which asserts that every individual has the right to dignity, freedom, equality, a basic standard of living that includes freedom from hunger and violence, and encourages tolerance and solidarity. The MDGs were made to operationalize these ideas by setting targets and indicators for poverty reduction in order to achieve the right set forth in the declaration on a set fifteen-year timeline, there are 8 goals with 21 targets and a series of measurable health indicators and economic indicators for each target.

Millennium Development Goal Reports (MDGRs) begins with the development context of the country and examines each goal according to: status of progress to date; major challenges faced; supportive environment; priorities for development assistance; capacity for monitoring progress.

Advertisement

The performance appraisal of Nigeria’s thirteenth year journey to achieving the set Millennium Development Goals is mixed. Progress towards five MDGs has been below average but, progress has been less satisfactory towards the three other MDGs:

 

Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.

Advertisement

Target 1A: Halves, between 1990-2015, the proportion of people living on less than $1.25 a day.

Target 1B: Achieve decent employment for women, men, and young people.

Target 1C: Halves between 1990-2015, the proportion of people who suffers from hunger.

Advertisement

No progress. 69% of the populace still live in abject poverty and as the day goes by, the gap between the poor and rich keeps widening. Eight out of every ten Nigerians still live in poverty. The growth in the economy has not generated adequate employment, majority of Nigerian youth are either unemployed or underemployed. However, nutrition has improved significantly maybe in the upper class while the rural dwellers which contains the larger population experience malnutrition.

 

Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education.

Advertisement

Target 2A: By 2015, all children can complete a full course of primary schooling, girls and boys.

This goal amongst others could be the reason for the criticism of the goals lacking in analysis and justification behind chosen objectives, the difficulty or lack of measurement for some of the goals and uneven progress towards achieving some of the goals.

Little progress: Nigeria progress based on net enrollment. Six out of ten eligible children are now in school from the universal primary education program interventions and enrollment in private schools. However, disadvantaged groups are still excluded and the quality of education remains very poor. Massive actions still need to be done in teacher education and the development of infrastructure.

Advertisement

 

Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women.

Target 3A: Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education preferably by 2005, and at all level by 2015.

Advertisement

Average progress: Improvement has been made in gender parity in Nigeria. For every ten boys in school, there are nine girls, and also female economic and political empowerment is also on the rise, much credit goes to President Goodluck Jonathan on this one.

 

Goal 4: Reduce child mortality.

Advertisement

Target 4A: Reduce by two-third, between 1990 and 2015, the under-five mortality rate, and Infant (under 1) mortality rate -proportion of 1 year-old children immunized against measles.

Average progress: There has been a minute decrease in under-five mortality, from 301 deaths per 1000 live births in 2003 to 201 death per 1000 live births in 2008. Infant mortality also shows a significant reduction from 100 per 1000 live births in 2003 to 85 deaths per 1000 live birth in 2008. The proportion of children immunized against measles by 12 months of age marginally increased from 31.4% in 2003 to 41.1% in 2008.

 

Advertisement

Goal 5: Improve maternal health.

Target 5A: Reduce by three quarters, between 1990-2015, the maternal mortality ratio.

Target 5B: Achieve by 2015, universal access to reproductive health.

Advertisement

Slow progress: Success in this goal has been slow and posses greater challenge to women existence. However, maternal mortality fell from 800 deaths per 100,000 births in 2003 to 545 deaths per 100,000 births in 2008. Reproductive health through the use of contraceptive is at the rate of 4%. The slow paste on this goal is as a result of poor medical facilities and half baked doctors and nurses.

 

Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases.

Advertisement

Target 6A: Have halted by 2015 and begin to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Target 6B: Achieve, by 2010, universal access to treatment for HIV/AIDS for all those who need it.

Target 6C: Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the incidence of malaria and other major diseases.

Advertisement

Average progress: The prevalence of HIV/AIDS dropped to 4% in 2008. HIV prevalence in pregnant women aged 15-24 years also dropped to 4.2% in 2008. The proportion of the population accessing antiretroviral drugs increased to 34.4% though still very costly, basically for the elite. The percentage of children sleeping under insecticide-treated mosquito net rose from 2.2% in 2003 to 5.5% in 2008. Malaria infection rate remains steady, and has account for average of 300,000 deaths each year. There is considerable progress against polio credit to some international organization, like Rotary International.

 

Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability.

Advertisement

Target 7A: Integrated the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programs; reverse loss of environmental resources.

Target 7B: Reduce biodiversity loss, achieving, by 2010, a significant reduction in the rate of loss.

Target 7C: Halve, by 2015, the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation.

Advertisement

Target 7D: By 2020, to have achieved a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers.

No progress: Access to safe water and sanitation has not improved significantly and other environmental challenges, such as erosion, coastal flooding and climatic change are growing, a good example is the incidence of last year’s devastating flood that gulped almost the entire country. The national ecological fund for such purposes is constantly misappropriated by those at the helm of affair.

 

Advertisement

Goal 8: Develop a global partnership for development.

Target 8A: Develop further an open, rule-based, predictable, non-discriminatory trading and financial system.

Target 8B: Address the special needs of the least developed countries (LDCs).

Advertisement

Target 8C: Address the special needs of landlocked developed countries and small island developing states.

Target 8D: Deal comprehensively with the debt problems of developing countries through national and international measures in order to make debt sustainable in the long time.

Target 8E: In co-operation with pharmaceutical companies, provide access to affordable, essential drugs in developing countries.

Advertisement

Target 8F: In co-operation with the private sector, make available the benefit of new technologies, especially information and communication.

No progress: The benefits of debt relief have not been matched by an increase in aid; trade and access to markets remain unequal. Debt-relief gains would have helped immensely in Nigeria’s modest progress towards achieving the MDGs if the few saddled with the responsibility are not busy helping themselves with public funds. As much as the funds that come into the country for accomplishing this targeted objectives go into individual pocket.

However, it should be noted that MDGs emphasizes the role of developed countries in aiding developing countries as outlined in the goal 8, by supporting fair trade, debt-relief for developing nations, increasing aid and access to affordable essential medicines and encouraging technology transfer. Developing nations are not left to achieve the MDGs on their own, but as a partner in the developing-developed compact to reduce world poverty.

Advertisement

Verdict:

Nigeria and other nations around the globe have to wake up to this amazing opportunity to not only upgrade the standard of living of their citizens but also stand in terms of economic growth and development and be counted among developed countries of the world. If United Nation fails to apply any sanction to countries who fail to accomplish the set target, posterity will judge this generation for their actions and inaction towards securing a better future.

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement
10 Comments

10 Comments

  1. Mystikal Oluwaseun

    December 29, 2013 at 9:46 pm

    I wonder why Nigeria was one of the best performing countries for target 7A IF INDEED THERE WAS NO PROGRESS AT ALL. What do you think?

    • shina

      September 29, 2015 at 2:42 pm

      couldnt agree less. you are all shades of correct.

  2. Mystikal Oluwaseun

    January 8, 2014 at 1:52 pm

    I wonder why Nigeria was one of the best performing countries for target 7A IF INDEED THERE WAS NO PROGRESS AT ALL. What do you think?

  3. Mystikal Oluwaseun

    February 24, 2014 at 11:13 am

    I wonder why Nigeria was one of the best performing countries for target 7A IF INDEED THERE WAS NO PROGRESS AT ALL. What do you think?

  4. Ben Jackie

    June 26, 2014 at 3:27 pm

    During the plenary session of the House of Assembly to celebrate the children’s day on May 26, 2014, the member representing Bornu State blamed the government for inability to contain insurgency, provide security for the state as a result of which 90% of the schools in Bornu States remain closed and about 90% of the children are out of school.

    In my understanding, what he was trying to say was that he blamed the House, the Senate and the Jonathan-led government for imposing ONLY a LIMITED state of emergency on Bornu State.

    The emergency ought to have been total to enable the military take full control and deal with the insurgents and their sponsors. Our girls would never have been abducted and 100% of the children would have been in school.

    IT IS NOT YET TOO LATE TO FOLLOW HIS ADVICE.

  5. Paul

    August 24, 2014 at 8:51 pm

    Buy Dangote Cement at 1,150 naira promo price for buyer above 100 bags. for more info reach the sales manager Mr Umar on 08069142093. Delivery can be made to all part of Nigeria.

    • Anthony Uhuns

      January 10, 2015 at 6:00 pm

      Thanks for your publication on August 24, 2014. I am writing to express my interest to buy “Dangote Cement at N 1.150 promo price for buyer above 100 bags”.
      I live in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. Dangote Cement has gone down drastically since August 2014. I have a project in Benin City and I need 300 bags of cement. what price would you offer me?

  6. Ogunrinu Adekunle Henrylaw

    August 24, 2014 at 8:54 pm

    i like this post

  7. ENE FELIX

    August 24, 2014 at 11:53 pm

    I believe if President Goodluck J. Go for the second tennure those three gaps with No progress, will be fill with progress. Pls get current update. U can contact me on 08062066177 unical

  8. IGBOAMALU PETER N

    May 8, 2016 at 4:44 am

    the transition to sustainable development goals is a welcome idea for continuity

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Facebook

Trending Articles