Introduction The millennium development goals are series of eight time-bound development goals that seek to address issues

of poverty, education, equality, health and the environment, to be achieved by the year 2015. The turn of the last century ushered in a new millennium a millennium with its hopes, aspirations and fears for its billions of inhabitants. Towards the end of the last century, various far-reaching agreements were made at the numerous conferences of the United Nations with its collaborating agencies. The enormous burden of poverty, hunger, ill health, environmental degradation and natural disease posed significant threat to peace, stability and development and hence continued human existence1. The fears were palpable and so were the efforts at combating the problems. In September 2000, on the heels of the dawn of the new millennium, the world witnessed the largest-ever gathering of Heads of State. This gathering, tagged the UN millennium summit in New York, USA, endorsed the UN millennium declaration which was endorsed by the 189 countries including Nigeria. The declaration was then translated into a roadmap setting out goals to be reached by 2015. These goals, eight in number, became known as the Millennium Development Goals (the MDGs). The MDGs represent a worldwide collaborative effort to reduce poverty and hunger, tackle ill-health, gender inequity, lack of education, lack of access to clean water and environmental degradation The economy of Nigeria has been undergoing profound changes whose components include greater openness to trade and investments, liberalization of the domestic markets and increased participation of the private sector in the provision of goods and services. But alongside these positive changes are appreciable weaknesses that the economy exhibits as globalization proceeds. These weaknesses, which have endured for long despite Nigerias enormous resources, explain the countrys underdevelopment. An inquiry into the underlying causes of these weaknesses reveals that economic and social policies imposed on Nigeria by forces outside the country marginalized the local potential and stifled the initiative and zeal of the people towards development. Investments too are not adequately targeting poverty reduction, and so there is a growing lack of basic needs. Worse still, the structures sustaining Nigerias underdevelopment frustrate economic and social transformation, thereby solidifying the foundation that regenerates poverty in the country. The imperatives for change are, therefore, overwhelming and this calls for actions that would rekindle development in the country. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are a response to this call for actions. The MDGs are a United Nations development strategy that targets poverty reduction in all its ramifications as against prescriptions usually foisted on Nigeria by its development partners that seek growth at the expense of equity and development. The MDGs share the realism that development is about poverty reduction and once the people notice that development is targeted at them, their

commitment will become easy to exploit and sacrifice for its success genuinely assured. And with the right policies and choices, domestic resources can be more effectively mobilized, capital flight minimized and consequentially, the economy can be strengthened as the capabilities of the people are channeled to the cause of development. The situation in Nigeria does not fare better as the continents most populous country has been confronting with development challenges and crisis of governance especially with the foray of military on its political scene. Nigeria, Africas crippled giant, was among the worlds 50 richest countries in the early 1970s but slumped to find itself among the 25 poorest countries in the world at the dawn of the 21st century. Despite its natural resource endowments and being the 6th largest oil exporter and 8th largest deposit of natural gas in the world (Soludo, 2006), it has the majority of poor population after China and India. Africas crisis of development became compounded with the adoption of the Bretton Woods institutions-inspired Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAP), which enabled African governments development plans and planning to give way to the rule of the market. This situation, contends Oladele (2009), had devastating consequences for social sectors such as education and health which served the public goods. Unfortunately, SAP failed to deliver on all it promised, this left both the state and the people worse offThe lesson learnt from SAP is that African states are unable to meet the basic needs of their people when they externalize their economies and/or embrace the market. Thus, the adoption of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)1 by the United Nations (UN) Millennium Summit in September 2000 was hailed as it provides the Third World countries, especially Africa, the new opportunity and drive to alleviate poverty and reverse the deterioration in human developments. The MDGs also represents the international communitys commitment to provide an accountability framework and global partnership for progressively eradicating poverty in all its dimensions. With this declaration, developing countries are requested to prepare bold national strategies to achieve the MDGs for making measurable improvements in the lives of the worlds poorest citizens. Developed countries for their own part would increase their assistance to developing countries, particularly through high-level Overseas Development Assistance (ODA). Despite Nigerias huge resource potentials and claim of its commitment to the realisation of the MDGs by 2015, meeting these fundamental eight goals is a daunting task. This challenge is not unconnected with the uncoordinated policy actions in those vital areas that MDGs aim to achieve as well as the problems of heavy external debt burden, poverty, corruption, etc. Following from the foregoing analysis, this paper uses descriptive approach to probe the problems that are militating against the implementation and realization of the MDGs to improve the quality of life of average Nigerians through bridging the gap between social classes and gender. The paper puts emphasis on the roles of the multilateral agencies in assisting Nigeria to meet the MDGs. In the final analysis, the paper argues that for Nigeria to meet these goals, the panaceas lie in the effective policy coordination and the political will to match rhetoric with actions; implying that there is the need to formulate and implement policies that will promote transparency/accountability; overcome institutional constraints; promote pro-poor growth; bring about structural change; enhance distributive equity; promote human development, etc The Millennium Development Goals: A Brief Overview Wherever we lift one soul from a life of poverty, we are defending human rights. And wherever we fail in this mission, we are failing human rightsKofi Annan addressing the United Nations General Assembly on the MDGs, the United Nations, New York, 2000. The epigraph above by the former UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, aptly captures the essence of the MDGs, which is to give meanings to human life. The MDGs has its origin in the September 2000 gathering of 189 Heads of State and Government for the United Nations Millennium Summit where the Millennium Declaration was ratified. Regarded by the Socialist International (2005) as part of the social democratic approach to governance in a global society, MDGs represents an unparalleled global commitment to free human beings especially those in the Third World regions from the bondage of absolute poverty and wretchedness. The Millennium Declaration, see by many as one of the most vital UN documents in recent time, offers the international society, both rich and poor the golden opportunity to have a common position and integrated vision on the best ways to address and solve the multidimensional problems facing humanity and to promote sustainable development. The Declarations eight MDGs cover with the following issues, viz; 1. To eradicate extreme poverty and hunger. The target is to halve the proportion of people living on less than $1 daily and those suffering from hunger by 2015, 2. To achieve Universal Primary (Basic) Education. The target is to achieve universal basic completion by 2015, 3. To promote gender equality and women empowerment. The target is to totally overcome gender disparities in both primary and secondary education enrolment by 2005 and achieve equity at all levels by 2015, 4. To reduce child mortality. The target is to reduce child mortality rate by 2/3 by 2015, 5. To improve maternal health. The basic target is to reduce by the proportion of women dying in childbirth by 2015, 6. To combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases. The grand target is to stop and commence to reverse the incidence of HIV/AIDS malaria and other diseases by 2015,

7. To ensure environmental sustainability. The target is to reduce by half the proportion of people without access to clean drinking water and basic sanitation, and lastly, 8. To develop a global partnership for development. This goal recognises the importance of the collaboration between the have and have-nots to eradicate poverty and extreme hunger. To achieve this goal, world leaders recognised and emphasized their shared responsibilities to eradicate poverty globally. In this regards, Third World countries, reaffirmed their commitments to strengthen governance, institutions and policies, while developed countries for their own part, pledged an additional and more sustainable debt relief and increased trade and technology opportunities for the countries of Global South. MDG, FOOD AND AGRICULTURE: THE CURRENT SITUATION Agriculture is a vital tool for achieving the MDG that calls for halving by 2015 the share of people suffering from extreme poverty and hunger.4 About 70 percent of people in developing countries live in rural areas and most of them depend directly or indirectly on agriculture for the livelihoods. Therefore any adverse effect on food and agriculture will affect their livelihood and the possibility of achieving the MDGs. Unfortunately; the quadruple (financial, food, energy and climate) crisis has exacerbated the destruction of the livelihoods of the poor and pushed many more people into hunger. The MDG goal one among other things commits to reducing the number of hungry people by half by 2015. But the food crisis is increasing the number of people in hunger rather than decreasing it. The number of hungry people in the world increased by 75 million in 2007 and by 100 million between 2008 and 2009 hitting the one billion mark in 2009. This means that one in every six person in the world is hungry. It is important to note that most of the one billion hungry people in the world live in rural areas and their main source of income and livelihood is agriculture. The adverse consequences of the quadruple crisis have the most significant effect on the poorest of the poor and the most vulnerable who normally have limited entitlement and opportunities as well as capacity to cope or adapt. MDG AS FRAMEWORK FOR DEVELOPMENT It is important to point out that there are limitations of utilizing the MDGs as a framework for delivering or measuring development.3 First, they risk simplifying what development is about, by restricting the goals to what is measurable. Many aspects of development cannot be easily measured. Secondly, some of the goals are very modest e.g. the goal to half the proportion of people living on less than $1 a day by 2015 and the target to achieve a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers by 2020. Finally, some of the targets do not address the problems holistically. For instance, the MDG on education talks only of a full course of primary schooling with no reference to secondary and tertiary education. Despite the limitations mentioned above, it is necessary for us to engage the MDGs for many reasons. First, the MDGs draw together in single agenda issues that require priority to address the development question. Secondly, the MDGs have received tremendous endorsement and backing by worlds governments. Thirdly, the MDGs have the advantage being more or less measurable, few in number, concentrated on human development and focused almost on a single date-2015. Another advantage of the MDGs is that it adds urgency and transparency to international development. Finally, explicit resource commitments have been made to achieve the MDGs. While there is some progress towards some of the goals and targets of the Millennium declaration the one relating to hunger is in radical free fall spiraling backwards at a dramatic pace hence there is the need for a radical rethink of the policies programmes to address it. HEALTH IMPLICATION According to Dr. Lee Jong- Wook, the former Director-General of the WHO, improvements in health are essential if progress is to be made with the other Millennium Development Goals2,5,8. Health and Education are squarely at the centre of the MDGs. Three out of eight goals, eight out of eighteen targets and 18 out of 48 indicators relate directly to health2,3. Health is also an important contributor to several other goals. The cross-sectoral nature of health determinants has long been known. This knowledge has more recently evolved into a more comprehensive approach of health being addressed within a broad economic and political framework. Public health experts have long advocated that health be at the centre of development policies and efforts of responsible governments8,9. This, the MDGs have tried to achieve. GOAL 1 Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger Recent economic growth, particularly in agriculture, has markedly reduced the proportion of underweight children, from 35.7 per cent in 1990 to 23.1 per cent in 2008.

However, growth has not generated enough jobs and its effect on poverty is not yet clear (the most recent data is from 2004). The available data and the current policy environment suggest that the target will be difficult to meet. Growth needs to be more equitable and broad-based. Developing agriculture and creating jobs will require the public sector to create an enabling environment for business, including building critical infrastructure, making regulatory services transparent and providing sustainable access to enterprise finance. Social protection and poverty eradication programmes need to be scaled-up and better coordinated. GOAL 2 Achieve Universal Primary Education In a major step forward, nearly nine out of ten children, 88.8 per cent, are now enrolled in school. Nevertheless, regional differences are stark. State primary completion rates range from 2 per cent to 99 per cent. In particular, progress needs to be accelerated in the north of the country if the target is to be met. Low completion rates reflect poor learning environments and point to the urgent need to raise teaching standards. The rapid improvement in youth literacy, from 64.1 per cent to 80 per cent between 2000 and 2008, appears to have reached a plateau. The Universal Basic Education Scheme is a promising initiative that needs to be reformed and strengthened. The Federal Teachers' Scheme and in-service training by the National Teachers' Institute have begun to address the urgent need to improve the quality of teaching. To accelerate progress and reduce regional disparities, these initiatives need to be rapidly expanded and improved. GOAL 3 Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women A gradual improvement in the proportion of girls enrolled in primary school, though noteworthy, is not yet enough to meet the target. There are still fewer girls than boys in school. There are signs of backsliding in the number of girls in tertiary education. Measures to encourage girls to attend school, particularly by addressing cultural barriers in the north of the country, and to provide the economic incentives for boys to attend school in the south-east, are urgently required. Although few women currently hold political office, the new policy framework is encouraging. However, gradual gains in parliamentary representation for women need to be greatly expanded in forthcoming elections. Confronting regional variations in the determinants of gender inequality requires policies based on an understanding of the underlying socioeconomic, social and cultural factors. State and local government efforts will thus be critical to the achievement of this goal. GOAL 4 Reduce Child Mortality Progress in reducing child mortality has been rapid. With sustained effort and improvement in related and lagging sectors, such as water and sanitation, there is a strong possibility of achieving Goal 4 by 2015. Under-five mortality has fallen by over a fifth in five years, from 201 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2003, to 157 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2008. In the same period, the infant mortality rate fell even faster, from 100 to 75 deaths per 1,000 live births. Recent interventions including Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses that reflect the underlying causes of child deaths, have contributed to these successes. However, these need to be rapidly expanded and accelerated if Nigeria is to achieve Goal 4. Access to primary health care needs to be improved by more investment in infrastructure, human resources, equipment and consumables, and better management. Implementation arrangements must target local needs, which vary hugely from community to community and state to state. Routine immunisation is unsatisfactory but can be rapidly improved by building on the successes of the near-eradication of polio.

GOAL 5 Improve Maternal Health Recent progress towards this Goal is promising and, if the latest improvements can be sustained at the same rate, Nigeria will reach the target by 2015. Maternal mortality fell by 32 per cent, from 800 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2003 (at the time one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world) to 545 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2008. However, the proportion of births attended by a skilled health worker has remained low and threatens to hold back further progress. Government commitment is not in doubt. An innovative Midwives Service Scheme is expected to contribute substantially

to ongoing shortfalls but its impact has yet to be reflected in the data. If the scheme is expanded in proportion to the national gap in the number of midwives, this will further accelerate progress. In addition, more mothers will be covered by antenatal care as access to quality primary healthcare improves and incentives attract health workers to rural areas, indicating that Nigeria will turn progress to date on this goal into a MDG success story GOAL 6 Combat HIV-AIDS, Malaria and Other Diseases Nigeria has had striking success in almost eradicating polio, reducing the number of cases by 98 per cent between 2009 and 2010. Another marked success was the fall in the prevalence of HIV among pregnant young women aged 15-24 from 5.8 per cent in 2001 to 4.2 per cent in 2008. Thus, nationally, Nigeria has already achieved this target. However, some states still have high prevalence rates that require urgent policy attention. Successes have been buoyed by better awareness and use of contraceptives. There has been a sharp decrease in malaria prevalence rates. Nationwide distribution of 72 million long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets, although only in its initial stages, protected twice as many children (10.9 per cent) in 2009, compared to 2008 (5.5 per cent). Similar progress has been made with tuberculosis. With sustained attention, tuberculosis is expected to be a limited public health burden by 2015. To consolidate and extend progress on Goal 6, challenges that need to be addressed include improving knowledge and awareness of HIV/AIDS, improving access to antiretroviral therapies, and effective implementation of the national strategic frameworks for HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis control GOAL 7 Ensure Environmental Sustainability Nigerias natural resources, some of its most valuable national assets, are still seriously threatened. For example, between 2000 and 2010 the area of forest shrank by a third, from 14.4 per cent to 9.9 per cent of the land area. Similarly, access to safe water and sanitation is a serious challenge for Nigeria. Little progress was made up to 2005 but improvements since then have brought the proportion of the population accessing safe water to 58.9 per cent and the proportion accessing improved sanitation to 51.6 per cent. The major challenge lies in translating substantial public investments in water into effective access. This requires more involvement by communities to identify local needs, and better planning to deliver holistic and sustainable solutions. In sanitation, efforts are falling short of the target. Rural-urban migration will add to the pressure on sanitation infrastructure throughout the country. It is doubtful that town planning authorities have made adequate preparations for sustainable housing and sanitation. There is an urgent need for managerial, technical and financial resources to deal with these challenges to be established at state and local government levels. Given the risks of over-exploitation of groundwater in the North and the influx of saline water in the South, innovative solutions are required across the country GOAL 8 Develop a Global Partnership for Development Debt relief negotiated by Nigeria in 2005 provided new opportunities for investment in the social sector. Debt servicing fell from 15.2 per cent of exports in 2005 to 0.5 per cent in 2008. To build on these positive developments there is a need to take action to forestall a relapse into unsustainable levels of debt that could prevent the country from achieving the MDGs. The outlook for the broader partnership for development is not as bright. Trade agreements continue to be inequitable and constrain exports and economic growth. Development assistance has grown although, when debt relief is excluded, it is still very low on a per capita basis. Improving the quality of human and capital resources available is critical to attracting the foreign direct investment that is needed to contribute to development. As a result of the deregulation of the telecommunications sector in 2001, the proportion of the population with access to mobile telephones increased from 2 per cent to 42 per cent between 2000 and 2008. However, this has yet to bridge the digital divide and only 15.8 per cent of the population currently has access to the internet. LIMITATION OF MDGs The limitations of the MDGs and its targets are well documented.[i] First, they risk simplifying what development is about, by restricting the goals to what is measurable. Many aspects of development cannot be easily measured. Secondly, some of the goals are very modest e.g. the goal to half the proportion of people living on less than $1 a day by 2015 and the target to achieve a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers by 2020. Finally, some of

the targets do not address some the problems holistically. For instance, the MDG on education talks only of a full course of primary schooling with no reference to secondary and tertiary education. Nigeria and the MDGs: Problems and Possibilities Putting the attainment of these goals in the Nigerian context, it is clear that they are real challenges. Flowing from our discussions on the MDGs above, the Nigerian government is obviously overwhelmed by the tasks. The positive social impacts that the implementation of the MDGs can make in the lives of Nigerians were considered by the International Financial Institutions (IFIs) in giving debt relief to Nigeria. So far, the Nigerian government score sheet is unimpressive to the extent that the House of Representatives has threatened to stop financial allocation to any Ministry or Parastatal that has failed to implement the MDGs (The Vanguard, 2009). The real challenge that militates against the realization of the MDGs is those of policy implementation because adequate budgetary allocations have been made by the government. Furthermore, the implementation of MDGs has been characterized by deeply entrenched corruption and gross inefficiency, and wastefulness. For example, the Senate report on MDGs described the MDGs office as a cesspool of corruption and shady deals (The Guardian, 2009b). Corruption has been a major problem because it makes the country unattractive to investors as it raises the cost and risk of doing business in the country (UNDP, 2004). In addition, there is the problem of duplication of projects in the same areas by the Federal Government, and multilateral donor agencies. Even the Senior Special Assistant to President Umaru Musa YarAdua, Hajia Amina Az- Zubair is skeptical about the possibilities of Nigeria meeting the MDGs by 2015 in spite of the huge funding which amounts to N320 billion deducted from the Debt Relief Gains (DRG) devoted to MDGs projects all over Nigeria (Nwokeoma, 2009). Although analysts believe that Nigeria can overcome the odds and achieve the MDGs in the areas of universal primary education, the fight against the scourge of HIV/AIDS, and improve on the sustainability of its environment, and partner in global development, the fact still remains that reduction of child and maternal mortality, as well as lessening poverty (NPC, 2007). Nigeria and the Millennium Development Goals: Prospects From the foregoing discussions, it is apparent that Nigeria is inundated with poverty and economic underdevelopment which, coupled with poor administration, lack of political will, etc have made its yearning towards achieving the MDGs in 2015 very unrealistic. Then, what can Nigeria do to overcome these problems? Put differently, what are the ways out of the present predicaments to realizing the ideals and lofty goals of the MDGs by 2015? Let it be clearly stated here that despite its (Nigeria) present challenges to the realization of the goals, the country has sufficient resources needed to meet the MDGs target by 2015 but what is of utmost importance and require for this to materialize is for the countrys leadership to overhaul its conceptualization and implementation of policies and programmes to meet the 2015 targets. In specific terms, we recommend the followings: First, government should establish credible and efficient institutions for proper public resource management, while the existing ones need to be strengthened. The imperative of this endeavour is to ensure efficient or better still, proper utilization of public resources (public goods) with the overall objective of preventing, or at least, minimizing waste and inefficiencies of the previous years the country witnessed especially under military rule (1983-1999). In addendum, this institutional re-engineering/restructuring, so to say, will give the opportunity of ensuring due process, diligence, accountability, etc. It is important to state here that the Nigerian government, especially under the present civilian administration has embarked on this endeavour. One good example of this initiative to meet the MDGs targets under the Obasanjos administration (May 1999-May 2007) is the creation of the Oversight of Public Expenditure in Nigeria (OPEN). OPEN is established with the oversight functions of monitoring the Debt Relief Gains (DRGs) and this could serve as a model for two major reasons. First, OPENs leadership is participatory, transparent, and involves government-civil society partnership in that it recognizes and includes the participation of both private and public sector (PPP). Second, the OPEN mechanism was established to track resources. Despite the exemplary model provided by OPEN, we should be very cautious here because development is very broad in definition and it entails a lot of indices that transcend the allocation of DRGs to some ministries and Parastatals. This is because; according to Igbuzor (2006) development requires growth and structural change, some measures of distributive equity, modernization in social and cultural attitudes, a degree of political transformation and stability, an improvement in health and education so that population growth stabilizes, and an increase in urban living and employment. (See also Kambhampati, 2004). Furthermore, establishing credible and efficient institutions are necessary but not sufficient conditions for total transformation in order to realize the MDGs in 2015. This needs to be complemented with, or go side by side with, transparency and accountability of these institutions, and the entrenchment of good governance and rule of law. Lack of accountability and transparency have been major challenges of development in Nigeria, especially with the advent of military rule. The countrys financial experts have a great role to play in this regard. At another level, the Nigerian authority should embark on pragmatic socio-economic policy reforms for the interests of all and sundry. These reforms should address the problems of rising cost of doing business in the country, inefficiency, lack of transparency and accountability, macroeconomic stabilization. Also to be addressed by such policy reforms are the problems associated with infrastructure, health, etc and reduce the risk of uncertainties characterized with business environment in Nigeria.

Though, the Obasanjos government economic reform (NEEDS) is commendable while the present YarAduas governments Seven Point Agenda is in its embryonic stage, more of these reforms are needed with strong political will and sincerity of purpose to achieve the stated goals. Also important is that such economic policy reforms should be ProPoor Growth oriented. It is equally necessary to promote sound policy to increase productivity in the agricultural sector (NPC, 2007). Though it is acknowledged that the Nigerian economy recorded some appreciable growth rate in recent years (especially under the Obasanjos presidency) but it should be realized that such economic growth can only be sustainable and achieving the MDGs targets, if and only if, such growth is pro-Poor. What this connotes is that economic growth should leads to poverty alleviation and betterment of the lots of ordinary Nigerians (i.e. the masses). The essence of the pro-Poor economic growth could be deciphered in President Obasanjos statement from the NEEDS document when he said: we must not continue to stress the pursuit of a high growth rate in statistical terms and fail to reduce the social and economic deprivation of a substantial number and group of our people. We must not absolutely pursue wealth and growth at the expense of inner wellbeing, joy, satisfaction, fulfillment, and contentment of human being. (See Federal Government of Nigeria, 2004). Another important area that Nigeria needs to invest its energy on to meet the MDGs targets is to reinforcing its collaboration (i.e. partnership) with development partners. Though, we have argued earlier that Nigeria is blessed with human and material resources, but it still need additional external assistance to make adequate progress towards achieving the MDGs. According to the 2005 World Bank and the UK Department for International Developments Country Strategy Partnership Strategys document, it is estimated that Nigeria would require external financing of about $6.4 billion annually between 2005 and 2008. It is argued that Nigeria received during this period only $2 per capita in ODA which is marginal compare to the average for Africa of $28 per capita. This is why Nigeria is been regarded as been highly under aided. Furthermore partnership with development partners which will also involve interaction between government, public sector and the private sector at the external environment. Thus, this will require transformists from the public sector, civil society, media and public sector to build a critical movement of people advocating for and implementing change. (Igbuzor, 2006). Literature Review The situation of MDG in Nigeria can be seen from two main sources: the Nigeria MDG report 2004 and the Nigeria MDG report 2005. We can also assess the situation from MDG office especially the Debt Relief Gains as provided in the 2006 annual budget. The 2004 report which was Nigerias first report on the MDGs states that based on available information it is unlikely that the country will be able to meet most of the goals by 2015 especially the goals related to eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, reducing child and maternal mortality and combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseasesi It further states that for most of the other goals (i.e apart from goal 1) up- to- date data exists which shows that if the current trend continues, it will be difficult for the country to achieve the MDG targets by 2015.ii The Nigeria Millennium Development Goals 2005 report is the second in the series of annual reports on the MDGs in Nigeria. The report which addressed the eight MDGs highlights the current status and trends of each of the MDGs, the challenges and opportunities in attaining the goal, the promising initiatives that are creating a supportive environment and priorities for development assistance. The report concluded that: There is high potential to attain some of the Millennium Development Targets namely, Achieving universal primary education Ensuring environmental stability Developing a global partnership for development Given the current policy environment and strong political will, there is also the likelihood of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger. However, based on available information, there is the need for sustained efforts to ensure that the country meets the following goals by year 2015: Achieving gender equality and women empowerment Reducing child mortality Improving maternal health; and Combating HIV/AIDs, malaria and other diseasesiii The conclusion of the MDG 2005 report is very remarkable and gives hope that there is possibility for achieving all the MDGs in Nigeria with sustained effort. This conclusion is quite different from the conclusions reached by the first report in 2004. It is intriguing that without providing the basis and reason for the dramatic change, the 2005 states that there is high potential to achieve 3 of the goals (Goals 2,7 and 8) likelihood to achieve one with strong political will(Goal 1) and the need for sustained efforts to ensure that the country meets the remaining four goals(Goals 3,4,5, and 6). The details of the situation in Nigeria as captured in the 2005 MDG report with regard to each of the goals is shown below:

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger (2015 targetHalve proportion of people living on less than $1 a day, and those suffering hunger): The current rate of reduction in poverty is too slow to meet the targets set for 2015. if the current rate of poverty reduction is maintained, poverty incidence would reduce to 43 percent as opposed to 21.4 percent by 2015. 2. Achieve Universal Basic Education (2015 targetAchieve universal primary completion): The efficiency of primary education has improved over the years, as the primary six completion rate increased steadily from 65 percent in 1998 to 83 percent in 2001. It however declined in 2002 only to shoot up to 94 percent in 2003. Literacy level in the country has steadily and gradually deteriorated, especially within the 15 -24 years group. By 1999, the overall literacy rate had declined to 64.1 percent from 71.9 percent in 1991. The trend was in the same direction for male and female members of the 15-24 years age bracket. Among the male, the rate declined from 81.35 percent in 1991 to 69.8 percent in 1999. The decline among the female was from 62.49 percent to 59.3 percent during the same period. 3. Promote Gender equality (2005/2015 target Eliminate gender disparities in primary and secondary education enrolment by 2005, and achieve equity at all levels by 2015): At the primary school level, enrolment has been consistently higher for boys (56 percent) than for girls (44 percent). 4. Reduce Child Mortality (2015 targetReduce by two thirds the child mortality rate): Infant mortality rate was 91 per 1000 live births in 1990 which later declined to 75 in 1999 but became worse in 2003. It rose to 100 per 1000 live births in 2003. 5. Improve maternal health (2015 targetReduce by three quarters the proportion of women dying in childbirth): The 1999 multiple indicator cluster survey reported a maternal mortality rate of 704 per 100,000 live births. The maternal mortality is more than twice as high in the rural areas. The report did not give comparative statistics. 6. Combat AIDS, Malaria and Other Diseases (2015 targetHalt and begin to reverse the incidence of HIV-AIDS, malaria and other major diseases): Since the identification of the first HIV/AIDS case in mid 1980s, the HIV prevalence rate has continually been on the increase from 1.8 to 5.8 percent in the period between 1991 and 2001. In 2003, the rate decreased to 5.0 percent and in 2005, it decreased to 4.4 percent. 7. Ensure environmental sustainability (Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes and reverse the loss of environmental resources 2015 target reduce by half the proportion of people without access to clean drinking water and basic sanitation By 2020 achieve a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers): The country is endowed with abundant environmental resources. However, high population growth rate and increasing demand for these resources threaten environmental sustainability. The environmental situation is challenged by myriad of problems, which impact negatively on the utilization of the resources for development and poverty alleviation. 8. Develop a Global Partnership for Development (Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes and reverse the loss of environmental resources 2015 target reduce by half the proportion of people without access to clean drinking water and basic sanitation By 2020 achieve a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers): The level of Official Development Assistance is increasing but still very low. The problem of market access for products of developing countries including Nigeria still persists. A review of the Nigeria Millennium Development Goals 2005 report will reveal a number of problems. We shall focus on only three of them. First, there is the challenge of accurate, reliable, credible and believable statistics. The draft of the first Nigeria MDG progress report prepared by NISER stated that at the primary school level by 2002, the gender ratio was 1:04 in favour of girlsiv. This was seriously criticized by CSOs as not reflecting reality. When the final report came out, it stated that at the primary school level, the gender ratio increased from 0.76 in 1990 to 0.78 in 1995 and 0.96 in 2000v The statistics had changed. In the past two and a half decade, statistics in Nigeria have always indicated increasing levels of poverty over the past two and a half decades from 28.1% in 1980 to 65.6% in 1996 (MDG Report ,2004). In the early 2000s, there were many estimates that poverty rate was above 70%. But President Obasanjo has always insisted without any study that the poverty level was much lower. Expectedly, when the NPC conducted a survey in 2004, the poverty level was put at 54.4%. Before this report was released the 2004 MDG report stated that it is unlikely that the country will be able to meet most of the goals by 2015 especially the goals related to eradicating extreme poverty and hunger. After the release of the report, the 2005 MDG report stated that given the current policy environment and strong political will, there is also the likelihood of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger p.viii.

The second problem with the report is that it is development assistance focused. The 2005 MDG report highlights the status of the MDGs, the challenges, opportunities and priorities for development assistance. This is not surprising for development strategy planning in Nigeria has been essentially external focused. According to the Nigerian draft interim poverty reduction strategy paper prepared in November, 2001 (the precursor of NEEDS), Nigeria has embarked on preparing its own PRSP as a requirement for concessional assistance from its development partners abroad, including the World Bank, the IMF, the bilateral donors and other sources of such assistance. Given the importance of the subject and the tight timetable, the Nigerian authorities fully recognize the need to move forward expeditiously to the timely completion of the countries PRSP of which this interim PRSP (IPRSP) is the preliminary step.vi The final drawback of the report that we will like to point out is that the report did not indicate the policies and practices that need to change to attain the goals. Meanwhile, scholars and agencies have documented what needs to be done to tackle poverty and achieve the MDGs. In this review, we shall outline the recommendations of three agencies: the World Bank, UNDP and ActionAid International. The World Bank in its 2001 report titled Attacking poverty points out that physical capital was not enough, and that at least as important were health and education and proposed a strategy for attacking poverty in three waysvii: 1. Promoting opportunity Encouraging effective private investment Expanding into international markets Building the assets of poor people Addressing asset inequalities across gender, ethnic, racial and social divides Getting infrastructure and knowledge to poor area-rural and urban 2. Facilitating Empowerment Laying the political and legal basis for inclusive development Creating public administration that foster growth and equity Promoting inclusive decentralization and community development Promoting gender equity Tracking social barriers 3. Enhancing Security Formulating a modular approach to helping poor people manage risk Developing national programs to prevent, prepare for, and respond to macro shocks-financial and natural Designing national systems of social risk management that are also pro-growth Addressing civil conflict Tackling the HIV/AIDS Epidemic The UNDP in its Human Development report of 2003 titled Millennium Development Goals: A Compact Among Nations to end Human Poverty pointed out that to achieve the MDGs require policy responses to structural constraints on several fronts along with stepped up external support.viii The report recommended six policy clusters to help countries break out of their poverty traps: 1. Invest early and ambitiously in basic education and health while fostering gender equity. These are preconditions to sustained economic growth. Growth in turn can generate employment and raise incomes- feeding back into further gains in education and health gains. 2. Increase the productivity of small farmers in unfavourable environments- that is, the majority of the worlds hungry people. A reliable estimate is that 70 percent of the worlds poorest people live in rural areas and depend on agriculture. 3. Improve basic infrastructure- such as ports, roads, power and communications- to reduce the costs of doing business and overcome geographic barriers. 4. Develop an industrial development policy that nurtures entrepreneurial activity and helps diversify the economy away from dependence on primary commodity exports- with an active role for small scale and medium size enterprises. 5. Promote democratic governance and human rights to remove discrimination, secure social justice and promote well being of all people. 6. Ensure environmental sustainability and sound urban management so that development improvements are long term. ActionAid International in its report titled Changing Course: Alternative Approaches to Achieve Millennium Development Goals and Fight HIV/AIDs shows that there is a yawning gap between MGD needs and spending realities in poor countries and that macroeconomic policies enforced by the IMF block poor countries from being able to spend more on education, health and economic development.ix The report argued that for the MDGs to be achieved, the world

must start to change course now and adopt at local, national and international levels alternative economic policies that allow for much higher long-term public investments in health, education and development. CAN NIGERIA MEET THE GOALS? The question of whether Nigeria can or cannot meet the MDGs is a crucial one that should agitate the minds of politicians, government bureaucrats, civil society activists and development workers. In our view, there is no straightforward answer. It can be answered either in the negative or the affirmative. The NEEDS document clearly states that if present trend continues, the country is not likely to meet the Millennium Development Goals.x On the other hand, the 2005 report gives the conditions for meeting the goals: strong political will and sustained efforts. Perhaps, a better way to frame the question is what can Nigeria do to meet the MDGs in 2015?. In our view, Nigeria has sufficient resources to meet the MDGs in 2015. But for this to happen, as argued above, the country will have to change course in the conceptualization and implementation of policies and programmes to achieve the MDGs. One good initiative in Nigeria designed to meet the MDGs is the Oversight of Public Expenditure in Nigeria (OPEN) set up to monitor the Debt Relief Gain(DRG). Two issues make this initiative unique. The first is the leadership of the process which has been participatory, open, transparent and all inclusive with participation of private sector and civil society. The second and perhaps most important is that systems have been put in place to track resources. This is perhaps the model that should become the norm in every ministry, department and agency at all levels of government. It must be however be recognized that development is a complex issue and goes beyond allocation of Debt Relief Gains to some MDG Ministries. A scholar once argued that development requires growth and structural change, some measure of distributive equity, modernization in social and cultural attitudes, a degree of political transformation and stability, an improvement in health and education so that population growth stabilizes, and an increase in urban living and employment.xi In our view, social transformation will require good change and progress in the following areas: Transparency and accountability: Several analysis of the challenges of development in Nigeria has identified lack of transparency and accountability as a major obstacle. Accountants in Nigeria have a great role to play in this regard. They must change the way auditing is done from financial auditing of certifying payments and receipts to systems auditing and examining the whole concept of value for money. Otherwise, accountants and auditors will just be certifying corruption. Tackling institutional constraints: To deliver services to the people require effective and efficient institutions that follow due process and standards. Pro-Poor Growth: It is clear that there has been economic growth in Nigeria in the last few years above 5 percent. But economic growth alone cannot lead to achievement of the MDGs unless the growth is pro-poor. As President Obasanjo said, We must not continue to stress the pursuit of a high growth rate in statistical terms and fail to reduce the social and economic deprivation of a substantial number and group of our people. We must not absolutely pursue wealth and growth at the expense of inner well being, joy, satisfaction, fulfillment and contentment of human beings.xii Structural Change: To achieve the MDGs in Nigeria, there is the need to change the structure of the economy in such a way that the economy is not dependent on only one product but diversified economy and expanding the industrial sector. Distributive Equity: Deliberate efforts and policies must be put in place to redistribute income. The MDGs will be meet if the poor and excluded in society are empowered to meet their basic needs. Social and cultural Re-orientation: There is the need for social and cultural re-orientation to meet some of the goals. For instance, the goals on women and girls require a new kind of mindset to achieve them. Political Transformation: The political system and the way it engenders commitment, participation and patriotism by the people contributes immensely to national cohesion, peace and stability and development. Human Development: Development implies the fulfillment of basic human needs including those for education and health. Urban Development: The growth of urbanization is definitely increasing and there will probably be more people in urban areas than rural areas by 2015. There must be urban development process that is inclusive and not based on dislocation of slum dwellers without alternatives. Employment: Employment is the surest way of achieving the MDGs because individuals will receive income and will contribute to the economy. Transformation of Power Relations: Whenever power is concentrated in the hands of a few, they will utilise such powers to accumulate wealth. To achieve the MDGs will require transformation of power relations and challenge of patriarchy. Partnership with development partners: It has been documented that in order to make adequate progress towards achieving the MDGs, Nigeria will require additional external financing averaging about US $6.4 billion annually between 2005 and 2008.xiii Even if the resources in the country are used effectively there will still be challenges in

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meeting the MDGs. Meanwhile, Nigeria is seriously underaided. Nigeria receives only US $2 per capita in ODA compared to the average for Africa of US $28 per capita. In addition, meeting the MDGs will require partnership between government, the public sector and the private sector. In particular, it will require transformists from the public sector, civil society, media and private sector to build a critical movement of people advocating for and implementing change. SUGGESTIONS FOR THE WAY FORWARD In future editions of the report, it will be necessary to address the problems of the 2005 report discussed above. For the MDG/GCAP working group in Nigeria, there will be the need to address the following issues: Engage more robustly with the process of producing the report and make critical input Nigerianise the MDGs and advocate for what needs to be done to eradicate poverty in Nigeria. Monitor the achievement of the MDGs in Nigeria. In particular, monitor the Debt Relief Gains. Monitor the Budget and track resources with special attention to achievement of the MDGs in particular and poverty eradication in general. Broaden the campaign to include faith based organisations, labour, farmers, differently abled people, women groups and other social movements Advocate for the return of the return of the $6.4 billion paid by Nigeria to the rich countries inspite of challenges that it face in meeting the MDGs. CONCLUSION The problem of development is a global challenge and the MDGs is a response by world leaders. There are limitations to utilizing the MDGs as a framework for delivering or measuring development. But they provide a platform to engage the development process. The situation in Nigeria indicates that there are challenges in meeting the goals by 2015. For Nigeria to meet the goals in 2015, there is the need to formulate and implement policies that will promote transparency and accountability; overcome institutional constraints; promote pro-poor growth; bring about structural change; enhance distributive equity; engender social and cultural re-orientation; engineer political transformation; promote human development; practice inclusive urban development; generate employment and transform power relations. It must be noted that there has been preceeding discrepancy between the setting of international goals and the interpretation and implementation of policies and programmes that truly address the needs of individuals and families in the various countries. The MDGs are clearly achievable and have even been described as the minimum (instead of millennium) goals required for meaningful development and stability5,15. The world has never seen as much prosperity as it is presently experiencing. A redistribution of wealth is inevitable. While it is believed that an increase aid of about $50 billion (50 billion dollars) is needed by developing countries, governments of the world spent a whopping over $900 billion (900 billion dollars) on arms in 2003 alone5,15. In the words of Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary General, we must break with business as usual. Success will require sustained action across the entire decades1. The MDGs offer a great opportunity for provision of meaningful health to the peoples of the world. The cost of missing this opportunity will be enormous. Millions of lives that could have been saved will be lost, many freedoms that would have been secured will be denied; and we shall inhabit a more dangerous and unstable world5,6,15,16. Reference African Forum and Network on Debt and Development (AFRODAD), 2005. The Politics of the MDGs and Nigeria: A Critical Appraisal of the Global Partnership for Development (Goal 8). Harare: AFRODAD. Ajani, S. R, Adebukola, B.C, and Y.B. Oyindamola, 2006. Measuring Household Food Insecurity in Selected Local Government Areas of Lagos and Ibadan, Nigeria, Pakistan Journal of Nutrition, vol.5, no.1, pp. 62-67. Akindele, S.T. and A. Adebo, 2004. The Political Economy of River Basin and Rural Development Authority in Nigeria: A Retrospective Case Study of Owena-River Basin and Rural Development Authority (ORBRDA), Journal of Human Ecology, vol. 16, no.1, pp. 55-62. Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), 2005. The Millennium Development Goals in Africa: Progress and Challenges. Addis Ababa: Economic Commission for Africa. Elumilade, D. O, Asaolu, T. O. and S. A. Adereti, 2006, Appraising the Institutional Framework for Poverty Alleviation Programmes in Nigeria, International Journal of Finance and Economics, issue 3, pp. 66-76. Federal Government of Nigeria, 2004. Nigeria: National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS). Abuja: National Planning Commission. Human Rights Watch, 2007. Chop Fine: The Human Rights Impact of Local Government Corruption and Management in Rivers State, Nigeria. London: Human Rights Watch.

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Ibidapo-Obe, O, 2007. The Challenge of Teacher Education in Nigeria: The University of Lagos Experience, Paper presented at the Second Regional Research for Africa. Accra, Ghana, 22-24 March 2007. I gbuzor Otive, 2006. The Millennium Development Goals: Can Nigeria Meet the Goals in 2015, Paper presented at a Symposium on Millennium Development Goals and Nigeria: Issues, Challenges and Prospects, held at Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Abuja, Nigeria, 27 July. Kambhampati, U.S, 2004. Development and the Developing World. USA: Blackwell Publishing Inc. Lal, D, 1999. The Financial Times. London, October. Lewis Peter, 2004. Getting the Politics Right: Governance and Economic Failure in Nigeria, in Rotberg Robert (ed.), Crafting the New Nigeria: Confronting the Challenges. Boulder, Colorado: Lynne Rienner. Maduagwu A. Alleviating Poverty in Nigeria Africa Economic Analysis. [On line]: Retrieved from <http://www.afbis.com//analysis/alleviating_poverty.htm>. Accessed 25 November 2009. National Centre for Economic Management and Administration (NCEMA). Structural Adjustment Programme in Nigeria: Causes, Processes and Outcomes. Revised Technical Proposal. [On line]: Retrieved from <http://www.gdnet.org> (Accessed 26 November 2009). National Planning Commission (NPC), 2007. Nigeria Millennium Development Goals 2006 Report. Abuja: NPC. Nwokeoma, J, 2009. Why Nigeria may not meet the Millennium Development Goals, [On line]: Retrieved from http://www.nigeriansinamerica.com/articles/3530/1/why-Nigeria-may-not-meet-the-Millennium Development-Goals (Accessed on 10 October 2009). Odulana, J. A. and J. A. Olomajeye, 1999. The Impact of Poverty Program on the Urban Poor in Nigeria. Journal of Black Studies, vol. 29, no. 5, pp. 695-705. Oladele Kayode, 2009. Africa and the Challenge of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) [Online]: Retrieved from <http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/articles/kayode/kayode-oladele/africa-and-the-challenge-ofmilleniumdevelopment- goals-mdgs.html> (Accessed on 4 November 2009). Osinubi, T. S, 2003. Urban Poverty in Nigeria: A Case Study of Agege Area of Lagos State, Nigeria. [On line]: Retrieved from <http://www.gdnet.org> (Accessed 26 November 2009). Richard, J. A, 1978. Affluence and Underdevelopment: The Nigerian Experience, Journal of Modern African Studies, vol.16, no.2, pp. 221-239. Socialist International, 2005. Declaration on Millennium Development Goals, Council Meeting of the Socialist International, Tel Aviv and Ramallah. Soludo Charles, 2006. Can Nigeria be the China of Africa? Paper presented at the Founders Day of the University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria. The Guardian Newspapers, 2009a. Nigerias Unemployment Crisis. Lagos, 26 February. The Guardian Newspapers, 2009b. NAssembly Uncovers Fraud in MDGs, River Niger Projects. Lagos, 27 November. The United Nations, 2002. Nigeria: Country Profile. Johannesburg Summit Report, 2002. The Vanguard, 2009. Reps Threaten to Stall 2010 Budget over N110bn Projects. Lagos, 6 November. Tribune Newspaper, 2009. Again Cholera claims 73 in Borno, Taraba. Ibadan, 18 November. Udeh, J, 2000. Petroleum Revenue Management: The Nigerian Perspective. Paper presented at the World Bank/IFC Petroleum Revenue Management Workshop, Washington DC, USA, 23-24 October. Ugolor David and Atakpu Leo, 2002. A Testimonial-Economic Community of West African State Network for Debt and Development (ECONDAD), International Peoples Tribunal, Porto Alegre, Brazil. UNDP, 2003. Human Development Report, 2003: Millennium Development Goals: A Compact Among Nations to end Human Poverty. New York: Oxford University Press for the United Nations Development Programme. UNDP, 2004.

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National Millennium Development Goals Report 2004--Nigeria. New York: Oxford University Press for the United Nations Development Programme UN News, 2009. Millions of Nigerian Children to be immunized during UN-backed Health Week [On line]: Retrieved from <http://www.un.org/news> (Accessed on 1 August 2009). World Bank, 2003. World Development Indicators CDROM 2003. Washington DC: World Bank. World Bank, 2005. World Bank Africa Database CD-ROM 2003. Washington DC: World Bank. Shetty, Salil (2005), Millenium Declaration and Development Goals: Opportunities for Human Rights in International Journal on Human Rights, Year 2, Number 2. Abani, C., Igbuzor, O. and Moru, J. ( 2005), Attaining the Millenium Development Goals in Nigeria: Indicative Progress and a Call for Action. In Moru, J. (Ed), Another Nigeria is Possible: Proceedings of the First Nigeria Social Forum. Abuja, Nigeria Social Forum. Millenium Development Goals Report 2004 p. iv Nigeria Millenium Development Goals 2005 Report. Millenium Development Goals 2004 Draft Report p.26 Nigeria Interim PRSP November, 2001 World Bank (2001), World Development Report 2000/2001: Attacking Poverty. N.Y., Oxford University Press Inc. UNDP (2003), Human Development Report 2003-Millenium Development Goals: A Compact among Nations to end Human Poverty. New York, Oxford University Press ActionAid International (2005), Changing Course: Alternative approaches to Achieve the Millenium Development Goals and Fight HIV/AIDS National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS) (2004). Abuja, National Planning Commission. Kambhampati, U. S. (2004), Development and the Developing World. USA, Blackwell Publishing Inc. Olusegun Obasnjo (2003) Quoted in NEEDS Country Partnership Strategy (2005). World Bank Group and Department for International Development (UK)

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i ii iii iv v vi vii viii ix x xi xii xiii