NIGERIA CANNOT MEET MDGs

Chief Executive, Action Aid International, Mr Ramesh Singh, has said Nigeria may not be able to meet Millenium Development Goals (MDGs), despite increased funding of reform programmes and projects by development partners.

Singh, in Nigeria on a weeklong visit, said the country lacked the strong political will needed to achieve the targets set by the United Nations, because even though the country had the required human and natural resources, government had not shown the required commitment to ensure that the resources were translated to meaningful development.

He said he was in Nigeria to offer support to his partners in Nigeria and appraise the country’s level of preparedness ahead of 2015, when the MDGs are expected to have been attained.

“Basically, Nigeria has not been able to take advantage of its resources to the benefit of its citizens. It has the human resources and capacity to deliver, but I think the political will is equally necessary.

“Quite frankly, I don’t think Nigeria will be able to attain the MDGs. I think a stronger political will will be required. Whatever progress has been made, we should recognise it, but I tell you, Nigeria may not be able to achieve the MDGs,” he said.

Singh, however, expressed satisfaction with the level of commitment of Non-Governm-ental Organisations and civil society groups towards stimulating development and eradicating poverty and unemployment.

He said the organisation was doing a lot and would continue to do more, especially in the area of international advocacy afor more donor agencies to come to the aid of developing countries.
“We will keep trying to convince them that Nigeria needs better quality aids. Our role is also to remind the international community of their responsibility related to Nigeria and their contribution and the quality of their contribution to Nigeria especially towards achieving the MDGs. But we need to stimulate the political will to allocate resources equitably to those communities and people who are currently excluded from benefiting from the commonwealth of the country. Also, Nigerian

community and the internationalcommunity have to ensure that whatever international assistance they get is monitored to ensure that they were directed towards achieving the

MDGs,” Singh said. ActionAid is an international development agency whoseaim is to fight poverty worldwide. Formed in 1972, the organisation has grown in terms of its capacity to assist over 13 Millon of the world’s poorest and most disadvantaged People spread across 42 countries.

LEADERS TO DOING SOMETHING ABOUT HIV/AIDS

UNICEF urges leaders to take action on HIV/AIDS • Thursday, Jul 13, 2006 The world must take urgent action to address the impact of HIV/AIDS on children to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) by 2015, the UN Children’s’ Fund (UNICEF) has said. UNICEF said failure to meet the MDG on HIV/AIDS, which is, “to halt and begin to reverse the spread of the disease” would adversely affect the world’s chances of progress on other MDGs. This is contained in a UNICEF’s report titled” A call to action: Children, The missing face of AIDS,” made available to newsmen in Abuja, Monday. It said the pandemic had continued to frustrate efforts to reduce extreme poverty, hunger, provision of universal primary education and reduction of child mortality and maternal health improvement. UNICEF noted that HIV / AIDS was threatening children like never before, stating that over 1,800 children were being infected daily, while 1,400 others under 15 years, die of the pandemic also daily. UNICEF said world leaders from both industrialised and developing countries had repeatedly made commitments to step up efforts to fight the spread of the pandemic. It said significant progress had been made in charting the past and future course of the pandemic through the provision of free anti retro viral treatment to those infected, but lamented that children were being left out. According to UNICEF, the world must act now, by taking urgent and decisive steps to ensure that the next generation of children were HIV/ AIDS free. “We call upon every part of the global society to join in a campaign to support national efforts to ensure that this is the last generation of children that must bear the burden of HIV/AIDS,” UNICEF said. World leaders especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, should provide a platform for child focused advocacy on global issues such as mobilising international resources to combat the pandemic, UNICEF said. UNICEF also urged leaders to put the protection, care, support and treatment of children, adolescents and young people at the centre of the HIV/AIDS agenda.	RELATED IN THIS ISSUE PREVIOUS STORIES Jul, 12 2006: HIV/AIDS prevalence rate drops in Delta…more Jul, 10 2006: 2007: Nigeria needs detribalised leader …more Jul, 10 2006: Cross River gets kudos for reduction in HIV/AIDSprevalence…more Jul, 10 2006: We’ll expedite action on bill against gay marriage – Opara…more Jul, 8 2006: RSG, UNICEF sign 2006 project agreement…more Jul, 7 2006: African labour leaders meet in Calabar…more Jul, 3 2006: Oando emerges gainers’ leader with N0.98…more Jun, 28 2006: Environmental sanitation: LGs promise to swing into action…more Jun, 24 2006: Africa needs leaders like Odili – Ghanaian envoy…more Jun, 20 2006: Former AG challenges action of lawmakers…more Jun, 20 2006: USAID extends HIV/AIDS intervention in Cross River…more Jun, 18 2006: ECOWAS leaders finalise transformation…more Jun, 10 2006: Who is the South-South leader?…more Jun, 9 2006: HIV/AIDS workshop to hold in Odagwa…more Jun, 6 2006: 2007: Hausa, Yoruba leaders mount pressure on Odili…more
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At the World Summit of September 2005, world leaders committed to adopt, by 2006, and implement comprehensive national development strategies to achieve the internationally agreed development goals and objectives, including the Millennium Development Goals. Such “MDG-based poverty reduction strategies” were a core recommendation of Investing in Development. The  MDGs  is a campaign drawn as an effort to bring about some changes to sustainable development