ABSTRACT
This study has critically examined the Millennium Development Goals and poverty reduction in Anambra State, Nigeria. Specifically, the study examined how lack of good governance in the management of Millennium Development Goals funds undermined poverty reduction in Anambra State, and how the state implementation of neo-liberal economic policies impeded the programme of poverty reduction in the State. Literature reviewed are deficient in explaining the link between lack of good governance in the management of resources relating to MDGs which undermined poverty alleviation in Nigeria and also did not explain how the implementation of neoliberal economic policies impeded the enormous programmes put in place by the governments for poverty alleviation in Nigeria. Hence, this was the problematique of the study. Theory of Post-colonial state was adopted in arguing that the Millennium Development Goals was a cover for the accumulation of capital by the West and the comprador bourgeoisie, and as such did not conduce to poverty reduction in Nigeria. The study relied mainly on secondary data. Using qualitative descriptive methods of data analysis, the study discovered inter alia: (i) that lack of good governance in the management of MDGs funds undermined poverty reduction in Anambra State, and (ii) that the state implementation of neo-liberal economic policies impeded the programme of poverty reduction in the State. Arising from the above findings, the study recommended among other things that Anambra state government should adopt policies that favour and encourage transparency, accountability and rule of law in the management of fund that accrues to the state.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page
Table of Contents
List of Tables
List of Abbreviation
Abstract
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.1. Background of the Study
1.2. Statement of the Problem
1.3. Objectives of the Study
1.4. Significance of the Study
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. Literature Review
CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY
3.1. Theoretical Framework
3.2. Hypotheses
3.3. Research Design
3.4. Method of Data Collection
3.5. Method of Data Analysis
3.6. Logical Data Framework
CHAPTER FOUR
Good Governance in the Management of MDGs and Poverty Reduction in Anambra State
4.1. Structure of MDGs office in Anambra state
4.2 Lack of accountability
4.3 Lack of transparency
4.4 Non-participation
4.5 Absence of Rule of Law
4.6 Absence of Responsiveness
4.7 Non-consensus Oriented
4.8 Lack of Equity and Inclusiveness
4.9 Absence of Effectiveness and Efficiency
CHAPTER FIVE
The State Implementation of Neo-liberal Economic Policies and Programme of Poverty Reduction in Anambra State
5.1 Privatization
5.2 Removal of State Subsidies
5.3 Deregulation
CHAPTER SIX
6.1. Summary
6.2. Conclusion
6.3. Recommendations
Bibliography
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Over the past fifty years, many countries of the world and essentially African have been besieged by the challenges of poverty, stagnation and backwardness. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP, 2006) report indicates that African countries account for about 80 percent of cumulative world poverty. As a result of this scenario, Okolie (2005:10) contends that “majority of the citizenry is affected by and mired in a culture of grinding penury occasioned largely by reckless, rapacious and unabashed misappropriation and misuse of public wealth.” Similarly, White and Killick (2001) noted that data on income poverty since late 1980s show Africa’s share of those living on less than a dollar a day to have risen, the absolute number of poor in Africa has grown five times more than the figure for Latin America and for South Asia. More so, Olukohi and Nyamjoh (2006:10) observe that:
The emergent leaders in successive order of the newly independent and post-colonial African states including Nigeria, have experimented with different fads nay a plethora of problematic and policy initiatives for overcoming challenges confronting African growth poverty reduction and overall development.
Prominent among these policies and programmes which have been severally prosecuted under the relevant United Nation’s Charter include, the Enhanced Structural Adjustment Facility, the Highly Indebted Poor Country Initiative, the Napels Terms of the Group and African Debt Relieve, the United Nations Global Compact, the various summits organized by the UN on social issues, the Environmental and Racism and Discrimination, the Poverty Reduction Papers, the 98 Plan for Africa, the Comprehensive Development Framework, Neo-economic policies, privatization, commercialization, free market etc, and latest being the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Olukoshi and Nyamnjoh (2006).
Narsir (2002) see poverty as a concept that entails socio-economic and political deprivation which may affect individuals, households or communities and which may result in lack of access to basic necessities of life. Similarly, Ihejirika (2011) equated poverty to a complex multidimensional problem, which has to do with lack of control over resources, including land, skills, knowledge, capital and social connections. According to World Bank(1990) and United Nations (1995) the various manifestations of poverty include: lack of income and productive resources sufficient to ensure sustainable livelihood, hunger and malnutrition and other basic services, homelessness and unsafe degraded environment among others.
In with the above, Nwaobi (2003) asserted that Nigeria presents a “bewildering paradox.” A country richly endowed with human and material resources unfortunately, this had never translated to improved living condition for her teeming population. Despite the huge foreign exchange earnings from petroleum her main economic stay, majority of Nigerians have continued to wallow in excruciating poverty. The country is on the downward slide. There are abysmal performances of the various sectors of the economy.
Nigeria, however, happens to be chiefly amongst several other countries far behind in the trajectory of development. The country which was once within the centimeter of the world’s most fiftieth richest countries in the early 1970s has rapidly retrogressed to become one of the twenty poorest countries at the dawn of the twenty first century. Given the abundant natural resources with which Nigeria is blessed, it defies imagination to think that Nigeria is leading the Group of 77 (G77) poorest countries of the world (Abdelkrim and Awoyemi, 2006). It is equally ironic that Nigeria is the largest exporter of crude oil in Africa, sixth largest in the world and at the same time hosts the third largest number of poor people after China and India. Uneven distribution of material wealth, especially of oil returns, has further impelled a colossal chasm between the rich and the hoi-polloi. As a result, Nigeria falls among the twenty countries in the world with the widest gap between the rich and the poor (Obadan: 2008).
This has posed a serious challenge to the Nigerian government over the years with its attendant effects of deprivation of basic necessities of life. It is the remote cause of many problems in the country. These problems include lack of income and productive resources sufficient to ensure sustainable livelihood, hunger and malnutrition, ill health, limited or lacking access to education and other basic services, increased morbidity and mortality from illness, homelessness and inadequate, unsafe and degraded environment and social discrimination and exclusion (Alimika, 2001). According to Sala-i-Martin, et al (2009), in the global competitiveness index 2009-2010, involving 133 economies:
Nigeria is ranked 99th this year, down five places since last year…Nigeria’s economy is characterized by weak institutions (ranked 102nd) including a serious security problem (117th), high levels of corruption (112th), and government spending that is perceived as wasteful (120th). It also receives poor assessments for its infrastructure (127th) as well as health and primary education (132nd).
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