Nigeria

MDGs in Nigeria: Current Progress

GOAL 1
Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger
People living in relative poverty declined from 65.6 in 1996 to 54.4% in 204 while 35 out of 100 people live in extreme poverty and 30 out of 100 children are under-weight. Poverty incidence has been consistently higher in rural areas than urban areas while wide disparity occurs in poverty trend in the zones. The prospect of reducing poverty in Nigeria is bright in view of the macroeconomics stability and progressive economic growth in the last six years. Government polices at the third tiers should be focused on increased productivity in the agricultural sector. Investment in infrastructure, especially in rural areas, should be scaled up. This should be complemented with accountability and transparent governance.

GOAL 2
Achieve Universal Primary Education
Performance on this goal is on course in 2005. About 84 out of 100 school age children attend school and an increasing number stay there through to Grade 5. Net enrolment ration in primary school education was 84.26% in 2005 as against 81.1% in 2004. The literacy rate among 15-24 year-olds also improved from 76.2% in 2004 to 80.20 in 2005. The success was bolstered by the implementation of the Universal Basic Education (UBE), improved policy environment and better intergovernmental coordination in the sector. Concerted efforts are needed to reduce the cost of primary and junior secondary education, improve the quality of teaching and schooling, and sustain political commitment to the implementation of UBE.

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GOAL 3
Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women
The ration of boys to girls in primary education improved from 79% in 200 to 81% in 2005 while the proportion of women in non-agricultural wage employment stood at 79% in 2005. The proportion of women in national parliament was 5.76% as against 30% target. Secondary school enrolment has increased for both male and females at the tertiary level. The incentives for parents to send their girl-children to school and keep them there should be strengthened while state and local governments need to reduce the cost of schooling and making school environment more girl-friendly. There is also the need to mainstream gender issues into local, state and federal governments’ development strategies.

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GOAL 4
Reduce Child Mortality
Reduction of child mortality remains key challenge. As against the global target of 30/1000 live births in 2005, Nigeria had 110/1000 live births (LB) in 2005. Low maternal education, low coverage of immunization, weak primary health care system, high incidence of poverty and inequality and poor household practices accounted for high mortality rate. Under-five mortality rate (per 1000 live births) improved from 210 in 2003 to 197 in 2004 as against a target of 64 in 2015. Percentage of one-year-olds fully immunized against measles rose from 31.4 in 2003 to 50.0 in 2004. Yet wide disparities subsist between rural and urban centers and among geographical zones. There is need for improved co-ordination among three tiers of government in the provision of health services. Better decentralization of immunization management, strong advocacy on better household practices, access to drinking water and adequate sanitation are needed for success.

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GOAL 5
Improve Maternal Health
Maternal mortality also remains a daunting challenge to Nigeria. Against a global target of less than 75/100,000LB in 2015, Nigeria had 800/100,000 LB in 2004. Rural areas and the northern regions are worse that the national average. About 15% and 46% of rural and urban dwellers did not go for antenatal care while about 44% deliveries were attended to by skilled health care personnel. About 2 million women of reproductive age do not survive pregnancy or child birth. High cost of treatment, some cultural and social practices, low patronage of health infrastructures, training of health workers, scaling up of investment in health care system, improved value for money in use of resources and strong collaboration with stakeholders are required for success.

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GOAL 6
Combat HIV-AIDS, Malaria and Other Diseases
The HIV prevalence rate fell from 5.8% in 2001 through 2005 to 4.4%. Prevalence across the states, however, varied significantly. Although AIDS-orphans remain on the increase, the percentage of the people reporting the use of condom during sexual intercourse with non-regular partner increased. Malaria and TB still remain major public health problems. Malaria accounted for 60% of all outpatient attendance, 30% of all hospital admissions and 300,000 deaths annually. Blood transmission, unsafe injection and sexual practices are key drivers of HIV & AIDS while stigmatization and discrimination against people living with HIV & AIDS still remain rife. Poor sanitation and high cost of treatment accounted for prevalence of malaria while poor reporting network and weak public education are responsible for the spread of TB. The foregoing factors, Coupled with improved value for money in use of resources and scaling up of health spending require urgent attention.

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GOAL 7
Ensure Environmental Sustainability
Nigeria’s rich environmental resource base is being undermined by deforestation (3.5% per annum), erosion, desertification, gas flare and oil pollution. Access to safe drinking water is improving but access to sanitation is still low while housing has reached a crisis point with only 31.0% having secured tenure. Environment programmes need to be mainstreamed into development agenda of federal, state and local governments while resources for environmental management should be increased appreciably. Strong collaboration among key stakeholders is also needed.

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GOAL 8
Develop a Global Partnership for Development
Nigeria has enjoyed the benefits of progressive partnership with international community. The decision to exit the Paris Club creditors was finalized in 2005. Dept services as a percentage of exports of goods and services improved from 7.3% in 2004 to 3.4% in 2005, while foreign private investment also improved significantly. However, access of Nigeria’s agricultural and semi-processed goods to industrial countries market remains weak. Improved macroeconomic management, promoting transparent and accountable governance and substance of structural reforms are central to improved partnership.

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