Have you ever heard about ‘the Man, who cries for food?’ If you have not, then, you had better ask those living in Alaba or Ajangbadi areas of Lagos. The man wakes the residents of the area from their sleep with his passionate cry for food. You could hear his voice along Ojo/Egbede Road, breaking the silence of dawn with his repeated cry in Igbo: “Agu egbuo m! agu egbuo m!” (Hunger has killed me! Hunger has killed me).
The man, who is in his early 30s, appears healthy and normal but the pangs of poverty and extreme hunger have turned him into a pauper. Those who know him quite well insist he’s not deranged as widely speculated but is rather a victim of poverty foisted on hapless Nigerians by some unscrupulous individuals.
Worried by the degrading standard of living of millions of people, the United Nations agreed on the Millennium Development Goals in September 2000, to reduce extreme poverty and hunger, improve health and education, empower women and ensure environmental sustainability by 2015.
Not much has changed since the introduction of the MGDs. In Nigeria, for instance, increasing number of people, including able-bodied men, youths, widows, physically challenged people, nursing mothers and children mooch the busy streets daily, craning their eyes for a pittance from compassionate fellows. Across major streets in urban centres, communities of beggars, mostly women and children, compete for space on the streets.
Access to basic education has not attained the desired target. An estimated 32 million out-of-school children live in sub-Saharan Africa. Most of them face the brawls of hard life on the streets while 43 million people worldwide are displaced because of crisis or persecution in their home countries.
The ugly face of misery looms everywhere, with shocking revelations of a bleak future. Reports indicate that people receiving antiretroviral treatment for HIV or AIDS increased by 13-fold from 2004 to 2009. In 2009 alone, 33.3 million people were living with the virus, which translated to a 27 per cent increase over 1999. Sub-Saharan Africa remains the most affected region, accounting for 69 per cent of new HIV infections, 68 per cent of all people living with HIV and 72 per cent of AIDS death in the world. All these challenges have made the world a joyless adventure for innumerable number of people.
Worst affected is the African continent, with the infamous toga of the world’s poorest where millions of people live in desperation and deprivation of basic essentials. According to the 2009 United Nations Millennium Development Goals report, in 1990, the baseline year for the MDGs, about 57 per cent of the population of Africa was living in extreme poverty, earning less than $1.25 a day.
It is in Africa that the cyclone of poverty has left its worst devastation. For instance, in 2009, 22 of 24 nations identified as having “Low Human Development” on the United Nations’ Human Development Index were located in Sub-Saharan Africa. In 2006, 34 of the 50 nations on the UN list of least developed countries were equally in Africa. In many nations, GDP per capita is less than $200 per year, with the vast majority of the population living on much less. In addition, Africa’s share of income has been consistently dropping over the past century by any measure.
In 1820, the average European worker earned about three times what the average African did. Now, the average European earns 20 times what the average African does. Although GDP per capita income in Africa has also been steadily growing, measures are still far better in other parts of the world. Over $500 billion (U.S.) has been sent to African nations in the form of direct aid. Aid to developing countries reached a record high in 2010 but only $11billion has been received out of the $25 billion increase promised to sub-Saharan Africa at the 2005 Gleneagles G8 Summit.
The scourge of poverty has not reduced, even after 10 years since world leaders established goals and targets to free humanity from its strangulating grips. At the September 2010 MDG summit, world leaders put forward an ambitious action plan -a roadmap, outlining what was needed to meet the lofty goal of eradicating poverty by 2015.
The MDG Report 2011 was recently released by the United Nations at Geneva. The report, an annual assessment of regional progress towards the goals, reflects the most comprehensive, up-to-date data compiled by over 25 UN and international agencies. The report quoted the International Labour Organisation as saying “one in five workers and their families worldwide are living in extreme poverty (on less than $1.25 per person per day).” The UN Secretary, Ban Kin-Moon, noted that too many people are “anxious, angry and hurting. They fear for their jobs, their families, their futures. World leaders must show not only that they care, but that they have the courage and conviction to act,” he said.
This call for action became more expedient with the high number of hungry people worldwide. According to the report, the proportion of people in the developing world who went hungry in 2005-2007 remained stable at 16 per cent, despite significant reductions in extreme poverty. Based on this trend and in the light of the economic crisis and rising food prices, the United Nations would find it difficult to meet the hunger-reduction target.
Details of the MDGs report revealed that robust growth in the first half of the decade reduced the number of people in developing countries living on less than $1.25 a day from 1.8 billion in 1990 to 1.4 billion in 2005. At the same time, the corresponding poverty rate dropped from 46 per cent to 27 per cent. Based on recently updated projections from the World Bank, the overall poverty rate is still expected to fall below 15 per cent by 2015, indicating that the MDG target of eradicating poverty and hunger could be met.
However, the fastest growth and sharpest reductions in poverty are found in Eastern Asia, particularly in China, where the poverty rate is expected to fall to under five per cent by 2015. Projections for sub-Saharan Africa, based on economic growth performance and forecast trends, indicate that extreme poverty in the region is expected to fall below 36 per cent.
Despite the daunting challenges in achieving the goals, Ban Ki-Moon said the MDGs have helped to lift millions of people out of poverty as well as save lives and increase enrolment in schools. He said achieving the goals would require equitable and inclusive economic growth that reaches everyone and that will enable all people, especially the poor and marginalised, to benefit from economic opportunities.
“They have reduced maternal deaths, expanded opportunities for women, increased access to clean water and freed many people from deadly and debilitating disease. At the same time, the report shows that we still have a long way to go in empowering women and girls, promoting sustainable development and protecting the most vulnerable from the devastating effects of multiple crises, be they conflicts, natural disasters or volatility in prices of food and energy,” he said.
At the United Nations Information Centre, Lagos, various civil societies, non-governmental organisations and other stakeholders joined the rest of the world to discuss global progress, in line with the Nigerian situation. The forum, which was anchored by the Deputy Head, UN System in Lagos, Dr. Charles Korir, had in attendance Dr. Omolaso Omosehin, the Head, UNFPA, Lagos, Mrs. Yemisi Ransome-Kuti of Nigerian Network of NGOs, Dr Isaac Aladeloye, Officer-in-Charge, UNICEF, Lagos, Mrs Josephine Smith, Head of Office, UNHCR, Lagos, Mrs Olajumoke Araba, Officer-in-Charge, United Nations Information Centre, Lagos, among others.
Although, Korir and other speakers noted the appreciable progress made by the country towards achieving some of the goals, global partnership and urgent action were recommended to drive such reforms. Mrs. Ransome-Kuti said Nigeria faced daunting challenges in achieving both the MDGs and the Vision 20:20. She blamed the increasing poverty in the country on corrupt leadership, while arguing that spending 75 per cent of the budget on current expenditure in the country wouldn’t allow for meaningful development policies for the interest of other citizens.
“We have to address the issues of funding, transparency and accountability, particularly at the local government level. Unless we lock up some corrupt people, it is going to be business as usual,” she warned.
http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/features/citysun/2011/sept/14/citysun-14-09-2011-003.html
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