THE IMPACT OF MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS (MDGS)
ON THE STANDARD OF LIVING OF RURAL DWELLERS
ABSTRACT
The
research proffers a conceptual and theoretical appraisal of the impact of
millennium development goals on the standard of living of rural dwellers. The
nature, structure and objective of millennium development goals are analyzed is
related to its impact on the living standard of rural dwellers.
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The MDGs were introduced and agreed on
at the united nation millennium summit in September 2000 with nearly 190
countries, including Nigeria as signatories to the agreement. The eight MDGs
were:
1. Eradicate
extreme poverty and hunger
2. Achieve
universal primary education;
3. Promote
gender equality and empower women
4. Reduce
child mortality
5. Improve
maternal health
6. Combat
HIV and AIDS, malaria and otherdiseases
7. Ensure environmental sustainability
8. Develop
a global partnership for development
According to DFID [2007] the MDGs were introduced
as of a wider attempt to encourage the international community to stop talking
about making a difference in developing world and join forces to start doing
something about it. Alongside the goals a series of 18 targets were also drawn
up to give the international community a number of tangible improvement to aim
for within a fixed period of time, and also make it easier for them to progress
to date . The intention is that almost all of these targets will be achieved by
2015
CHAPTER 1
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
There are available statistics to
illustrate the extent of the challenges which need to be surmounted in
Nigeria’s efforts to attain the MDGs. One of the greatest threats in this
regard is the level and extent poverty which is not prevalent in the rural
areas. Statistics on income and social indicators show poverty in Nigeria to be
wide spread and severe and the trend increasing. According to Federal Office of
statistics (FOS) and World Bank, the population of the poor in Nigeria which
was 36.1 million in 1985 and 34.7million in 1992, has jumped to 55.8 million in
1997(Human Development report, 1998).
The calculation of the human poverty
index for Nigeria shows that it is 41.6, meaning that the people are extremely
deprived, with one in every two Nigerians is poor (Human Development report,
1997). In terms of the proportion of the poor the total population available
statistics indicates that in1960 the poverty level in Nigeria covers about 15%
of the population and by 1980 it grew to 28.0%. In 1985 the poverty level was 46.0% which dropped 43.0% by
1992.By 1996, the poverty level in Nigeria was estimated at66% and about 70% of
the population have become poor by 2001 (FOS, 2003; FGN, 2002). According to World
Bank Reports, 1999 (In Aliyu, 2001), Nigeria’s Human Development Index (HDI)
was only 0.416 which placed the country among the 25 poorest countries in the
world. Furthermore, life expectancy at birth was 51 years, literacy rate was
44% and 70% of the rural population do not have access to portable water, healthcare
facilities and electricity. Infant mortality rate (per 1000 live births) and
under-five mortality rates were 82 and 191, respectively in 1995. Information
from the National Bureau of Statistics indicated that the literacy rate ranged
between 49.335% for male and 62.25% for female with respect to inability to
read and write in English language. The rate for those who cannot read and
write in any Nigerian language were 60.17% for male and 49.39% for female.
The national net primary school
enrolment rate was 81.19% which suggests that29 out of every 100 primary school
children are not in (Fajonyomi, 2006).Poverty in Nigeria has been described as
poverty amidst plenty (Human Development report, 1998). This is attested by the
fact that Nigeria is endowed with both natural and human resources which if
wisely managed can no doubt make it possible to attain the MDGs. There are
other challenges especially with respect to the other MDGs. With reference to
MDG 6, the spread of HIV/AIDS has increased significantly in Nigeria since the first
official report of the first case in 1986. Information culled from the National
HIV/AIDS and Reproductive Health Survey (NARHS, 2005) indicated a progressive increase
in the HIV/AIDS prevalence rate from 1.8% in1991, through 4.5% in 1996 to 5.8%
in 2001.
However, they appear to be a reversal in
trend with the 2003survey result of 5.0% (FMOH, 2003b) and 4.4% in 2005.About
2.9 million Nigerians are estimated to be living with HIV/AIDS in 2005. From
the statistics, it is glaring that the AIDS pandemic continues to be a major
health and development challenge in Nigeria.
Another health of critical significance
in meeting the MDG is maternal morbidity and mortality. Though there are
variations across states and ecological zones in Nigeria, in general statistics
shows that the country has a high level of maternal mortality. Based unavailable
estimates of 800 maternal deaths per 100,000live births, Nigeria records about
37,000 maternal deaths annually, the third highest in the world (WHO,2004).
Poor health seeking behavior, poor availability of obstetrics services and poor
quality of services are major factors associated with high maternal morbidity
and mortality rates in Nigeria. There are sharp urban rural differences in
access to health services. Women in rural areas generally have relatively poor
level of utilization of health services. According to the National Health and
Reproductive survey (NHRHS) (2003), the proportion of urban mothers (59%) that
were assisted by skilled attendants at delivery was more than twice that of rural
women (25%). Urban women are three times as likely to receive post-natal care
as rural women (Federal Ministry of Health, 2005). The goal of improving
maternal health in the country have also been hampered by lack of friendly
policies to encourage a services by women as well as other site specific constraints
in different parts of the country. A survey in Kano state north eastern Nigeria
shows that most deaths of pregnant women were due to hypertension and late
referral, and the reasons for this according to Yusuf (2006) are:
1. Lack of competent health personnel;
2. Inadequate health facilities;
3. Poor health seeking behaviors
(patients waiting until crisis point);
4. Gender power relations between men
and women, especially as regards domestic decision-making;
5. Low educational status of women
6. Inadequate postnatal Emergency
Obstetrics Care services;
7. Muslim women have problems with
accessing health services promptly, mainly because they have to seek permission
from their spouse and there is disapproval of non-same-sex medical attendants.
In general, there are several other
challenges facing Nigeria in meeting the MDGs. These include:
1. Decay
of infrastructure;
2. The
size of the population;
3. Mismanagement
of public resources;
4. The
capacity of the public service to deliver;
5. Corruption
and lack of transparency
6. The
common characteristics of many
Nigerian politician to be only
interested in what they can gain from the office and an obsession with how to
remain in office, rather than thinking of the public benefits;
1. Lack
of adequate funding for public education and inequitable allocation of resources between rural and urban areas;
2. Cultural
which include religious and social impediments to gender equality
3. Lack
of sufficient care and appropriate laws to protect the environment.
It is very important that the above
statistics an discussion shows clearly those mounting challenges which Nigeria
needs to overcome in a bid to reach MDGs and ensure improve welfare for her
people, especially the rural dwellers..
The
research intends to appraise the impact of millennium development goals on the
standard of living of rural dwellers.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The MDG in 2000
formulated strategic goals to be achieved in the year 2015.
After many years of implementation
,the goals of MDG is far from being
attained.
The problem confronting this research
is to investigate the impact of MDGS on the standard of living of the people.
1.3 RESEARCH
QUESTION
1
What constitute the nature of MDGS?
2 What
are the goals of MDG?
3 What is the level of implementation?
4 What
is the impact of MDGS on the standard of living of the people?
1.4 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
1
TO appraise MDG and
the goals of MDG
2
To appraise the level
of its implementation
3
To determine the
impact of MDG on the standard of living of the rural dwellers
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE
STUDY
1
The study provide an assessment of the
level of implementation and challenges of MDGS
2 It
shall project the impact of MDGS on the rural dwellers with a view to profer newer recommendations for its
implementation
3
The study shall serve a
veritable source of information dimension on MDGS goals
and activities
1.6
STATEMENT
OF HYPOTHESIS
1
H0 MDGS is not significant to the rural dwellers
H1 MDGS
is significant to the rural dwellers
2
H0 The
challenges of implementing MDGS in rural
areas is low
H1 The
challenges of implementing MDGS in rural areas is high
3
H0 The impact of MDGS on the standard of living
of rural dwellers is low
H1 The
impact of MDGS on the standard of living
of rural dwellers is high
1.7
SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The study provides an appraisal of the
impact of MDGS on the standard of living of rural dwellers. It provides an
assessment of MDGS goals, level of implementation, challenges and its impact on
the rural dwellers.
1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS
MDGS
MANDATE:
The MDGs were introduced and agreed on
at the united nation millennium summit in September 2000 with nearly 190
countries, including Nigeria as signatories to the agreement. The eight MDGs
were:
1. Eradicate
extreme poverty and hunger
2. Achieve
universal primary education;
3. Promote
gender equality and empower women
4. Reduce
child mortality
5. Improve
maternal health
6. Combat
HIV and AIDS, malaria and other diseases
7. Ensure
environmental sustainability
8. Develop
a global partnership for development
According to DFID [2007] the MDGs were introduced
as of a wider attempt to encourage the international community to stop talking
about making a difference in developing world and join forces to start doing
something about it.