FG likely to achieve only 3 of the MDGs’ goals by 2015

As the deadline for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) approaches, the Federal Government is likely to achieve only three of the goals in 2015, with goal 3 already been achieved and goals 4 and 5 with a strong prospect of being met by 2015, according to the MDG Performance Tracking Survey 2014 report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

The goal that has been achieved is the gender paraity while child mortality and maternal health could be achieved by 2015.

The MDGs’ 2012 Performance Tracking Survey was the first attempt by the Federal Government to objectively and specifically estimate MDGs indicators.

“In primary schools, the gender parity index (GPI) in 2012 was one percent which increased in 2014 to 1.02 percent. In secondary schools, the GPI ratio was 1.02 percent in 2012 and decreased by barely one percent in 2014 to 1.01 percent. This indicates that for every male, there is a female being enrolled into schools, with this, Nigeria has achieved the target,” according to the report.

Nigeria has a strong prospect of achieving goal 4 in 2015 as under-five mortality rate in 2012 was 94 (per 1000 live births), which positively reduced to 89 (per 1000 live births). Infant mortality rate stood at 61 (per 1000 live births) in 2012, which decreased to 58 (per 1000 live births) in 2014.

The report states that the country is making a lot of progress in goal 5 as the proportion of women who die from pregnancy related problems, child birth and six weeks after delivery, reduced to 243 (per 100,000 live births) in 2014 as compared to 350 recorded in 2012. Skilled attendance at delivery increased by 9.3 percent in 2014 as compared to the figure in 2012.

In looking at the progress made so far on other MDGs goals, the report states that the percentage of underweight prevalence was 25.50 percent which is a positive decrease by 6.9 percent in comparison with 27.40 percent in 2012. This shows that there is a lower prevalence of underweight children in 2014.

“The proportion of boys and girls attending primary school declined in 2014, while those attending secondary schools increased minimally. However, primary 6 completion rate recorded a slight decline in 2014,” the report said.

“The acceptance attitude towards people living with HIV dropped to 11 percent from the previous year, implying that stigmatisation of people living with AIDS is still an issue to be tackled. The proportion of women who knew a place to be tested for HIV increased to 69.20 percent from the previous year.”
On malaria, there was a decline in the number of household with at least one ITN to 38.9 percent. The proportion of pregnant women and children (under-five) sleeping under ITN reduced to 28.50 percent and 34.70 percent, respectively.
The survey shows that the number of people with access to improved source and use of improved drinking water stood at 62.20 percent which is 14.8 percent less than the MDG’s benchmark of 77 percent.