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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title Page          –           –           –           –           –           –           –           i

Approval   Page                –           –           –           –           –           –           ii

Dedication       –           –           –           –           –           –           –           iii

Acknowledgement             –           –           –           –           –           –           iv

Table of Contents –        –           –           –           –           –           –           v

List of Tables –             –           –           –           –           –           –           –           viii

List of Abbreviation –       –           –           –           –           –           –           ix

Abstract –       –        –           –           –           –           –           –           –           x

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

1.1.     Background of the Study        –           –           –           –           –           1

1.2.     Statement of the Problem      –           –           –           –           –           7

1.3.     Objectives of the Study          –    –           –           –           –           –           12

1.4.     Significance of the Study   –           –           –           –           –           13 

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1.     Literature Review      –           –           –           –           –           14

CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY

3.1.     Theoretical Framework         –           –           –           –           –           48

3.2.     Hypotheses      –        –           –           –           –           –           –           53

3.3.     Research Design         –              –           –           –           –           –           53

3.4.     Method of Data Collection    –     –           –           –           –           –           54

3.5.     Method of Data Analysis         –           –           –           –           –           56

3.6.     Logical Data Framework          –           –           –           –           57

CHAPTER FOUR

Good Governance in the
Management of MDGs and Poverty Reduction in Anambra State

4.1. Structure of MDGs office in Anambra state   –           –           –           60

•  Lack of accountability              –           –           –           –           63
  • Lack of transparency           –           –           –           –           69
  • Non-participation               –           –           –           –           72
  • Absence of Rule of Law         –           –           –           –           73
  • Absence of Responsiveness  —           –           –           –           75
  • Non-consensus Oriented          –           –           –           –           77
  • Lack of Equity and Inclusiveness    –          –           –           78
  • Absence of Effectiveness and Efficiency           –           –           80

CHAPTER FIVE

The State Implementation of Neo-liberal Economic Policies and Programme
of Poverty Reduction in Anambra State

5.1 Privatization        –         –           –           –           –           –                       86

5.2 Removal of State Subsidies        –      –           –           –           –           92

5.3 Deregulation        –            –           –           –           –           –           100

CHAPTER SIX

6.1.  Summary             –           –           –           –           –           –           106

6.2.  Conclusion         –           –           –           –           –           –           108

6.3.  Recommendations            –           –           –           –           –           109

 Bibliography                 –           –           –           –           –           111

List of Tables

Table 1: Total value of MDGs Conditional Grants Scheme projects by State, 2007-09 (amounts in Naira)    –         –           –           67

Table 2: Distribution of MDGs
projects in Anambra State by year and type     –           68

Table 3: Functionality of Projects   –        –           –           –           71

Table 4: Indices
Showing Poverty Rate in Nigeria in the Six Geo-Political

Zones and States           –           –           –           –           –           –           82

Table 5: Transfers
to parastatals and agencies, 1998 amount (Nbn) % of Total            87

Table 6: Number of Retrenched workers in Nigeria       –           –           89

Table 7: Price Fluctuation of
Premium Motor Spirit From 1977-2012    –           –           95

Table 8: 2012 Annual Distribution of SURE-P Allocation Shares to Nigerian States and their Local Governments –   –           98

Table 9: Showing
the incidence of poverty by geopolitical zones between 1980 to 2010 –      –           –           –           –           –           –           104

Table 10: Showing Poverty Trends in Anambra State     –           –           104

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

ADP                                        Agricultural
Development Programmes

AGCS                                     Agricultural
Credit Guarantee Scheme

ANIDS                                   Anambra
Integrated Development Strategy

BLP                                        Better
Life Programme

DFRRI                                   Directorate of Food, Road and Rural
Infrastructure

IMF                                        International
Monetary Fund

LEEDS                                   Local
Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy

MDGs                                     Millennium
Development Goals

NALDA                                 National
Agricultural Land Development Authority

NAPEP                                  National
Poverty Eradication Programme

NDE                                       National
Directorate of Employment

NEEDS                                 National Economic Empowerment and
Development Strategy

NIPOST                                 Nigerian
Postal Service

NITEL                                   Nigerian Telecommunication Limited

OECD                                                Organization
for Economic Cooperation and Development

OFN                                        Operation Feed the Nation

RBDA                                                River Basin Development Authority

RES                                        Rural Electrification Scheme

SAP                                        Structural
Adjustment Programme

SEEDS                                   State
Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy

SURE-P                                 Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme

UN                                          United
Nation           

UNDP                                     United
Nations Development Programme                         

WTO                                                  World
Trade Organization

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.

Keywords: MDGs, Poverty, Good
governance, Development, Neo-liberal economic policies.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

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 99^th this year, down five places since last year…Nigeria’s
economy is characterized by weak institutions (ranked 102^nd)
including a serious security problem (117^th), high levels of
corruption (112^th), and government spending that is perceived as
wasteful (120^th). It also receives poor assessments for its
infrastructure (127^th) as well as health and primary education (132^nd).

 It is so pathetic in the sense that the
country that is potentially rich in oil and gas and other natural and
agricultural resources cannot boast of putting foods on the tables of its
citizens. In fact, an average Nigerian is said to be living below one dollar.
Research has it that the foundation of most social vices and corrupt practices
both in high and low places is this scourge called poverty. At present,
Nigerian is rated as one of the poorest country of the world; a country with
abundant resources both in human and mineral replication (Anger, 2010).

In response to
the pervasiveness of poverty in the country, Onah (2007:47-48) has observed
that “successive Nigerian governments at different levels for over four decades
have introduced several policies and programmes, some of which were sector
specific and others non-sector specific with poverty reduction as its
centre-price.” Right from 1960 when Nigeria gained independence,
the goal focus of national economic programmes has been the reduction of
poverty, bridging inequality gaps and the achievement of a sustained economic growth
that should translate to economic development. Additionally, several
poverty reduction approaches have also been utilized in attempt to grapple with
the beleaguered poverty situation of the country’s citizens. The
implementations of poverty reduction approaches in Nigeria were incorporated
into objectives stated in the first and second Development Plans of 1962-68 and
187-1995 respectively. Other poverty reduction programmes of pre-SAP era were
the River Basin Development Authority (RBDA), the Agricultural Development
Programmes (ADP), the Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme (AGCS), the Rural
Electrification Scheme (RES), the Operation Feed the Nation (OFN) and the Green
Revolution (GR) of 1980. Other poverty reduction programmes in Nigeria after
the introduction of the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) in 1985 were the
Directorate of Food, Road and Rural Infrastructure (DFRR), National Directorate
of Employment (NDE) Better Life Programme (BLP). Thus, in spite of these
policies and programmes in Nigeria and third world in general, poverty still
remains pervasive and on high increase.

Consequently,
realizing the threat posed by poverty to global peace and security, the United
Nations in September 2000 initiated and set as target of pursing the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs). The MDGs is a set of 8 time-bound development goals,
which was signed by 189 world leaders at the United Nations Millennium summit
held in New York. It is aimed at reducing the number of people who lived on
less than a dollar in year 2015 by pursuing the following eight objectives;
eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary
education, promotion of gender equality and empowerment of women, reducing child
mortality, combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other deadly diseases, ensuring
environmental sustainability and developing a global partnership for
development (FRN 2008).

More
so, with the aim of reducing poverty and suffering in the globe especially among
the third world countries UN agencies like International Monetary Fund (IMF),
the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and World
Trade Organization(WTO)  all helped to
develop a policy with a collective responsibility to get the rich countries
increase grant/aid, removal of unsustainable debts of the poorest Third World
Countries, trade liberalization and improving the per-capital income of the
concerned countries (Tadaro and Smith 2008). Thus the United Nation advocated
for adoption of this neo-liberal policy measures of privatization, deregulation
and liberalization which were mainly predicated on the World Bank/IMF initiated
model for curtailing fiscal and external imbalances for developing countries
which were experiencing high incidence of poverty, external indebtedness owed
it and other bilateral institutions since the early 1980s (Mills 1989:5). According
to the U.N if these policies
and programmes are implemented, world poverty will be cut by half, tens of
millions of lives will be saved, and billions more people will have the
opportunity to benefit from the global economy.

Nigeria
as a member state of the UN and in a bid to reduce extreme poverty, hunger and
hardship adopted the MDGs and other neo-liberal economic policies. Successive
Nigerian government (military and civilian) have adopted these programme,
notably under the civilian leadership of Olusegun Obasanjo Nigeria keyed into
MDGs by established the twin programmes of National Poverty Eradication Programme
(NAPEP) and National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS) in
successive manner. These programmes were developed through broad-based
consultation with all major stakeholders across the country (UNDP, 2006).
Besides, the programmes and policy were introduced by the political leadership
in recognition that the fundamental challenges at the present stage of
Nigeria’s development is to meet the basic needs of its diverse people through
drastic reduction of poverty on a sustainable basis. To achieve this target
therefore, the policies and programmes were meant to incorporate all the
stakeholders namely, the federal government, state government, local
government, civil society, research institutions, organized private sectors and
concerned individual (Okoye and Onyukwu, 2007). As such States and Local
governments further domesticate this strategy with the launch of State Economic
Empowerment and Development Strategy (SEED) and Local Economic Empowerment and
Development Strategy (LEEDS).

Anambra
State as component states of the Nigerian federation keyed into the implementation
of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) with special emphasis on eradication
of extreme poverty and hunger. Arising from the above, Anambra state Government
under the leadership of Mr. Peter Obi in 2006 launched the Anambra Integrated
Development Strategy (ANIDS). Anambra Integrated Development Strategy (ANIDS)
is the multi-sectoral strategy adopted for achieving the vision or the vehicle
for reaching all targets of the MDGs in 2015 by pursuing all goals
simultaneously. Although ANIDS was not specifically designed for the MDGs but
equally serves a veritable tool for the implementation of MDGs projects in the
state, aimed at re-orienting values, reducing poverty, creating wealth and
employment generation (Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget Anambra State, 2013).

Consequently,
Fifteen years after the signing of the MDGs, its goals and objectives in
Nigeria are far from being realized. This is because the implementation of MDGs
within the context of poverty and hunger eradication in Nigeria has been
unthinkable, unrealizable and above all given up as a futility and mirage. This
could be attributed to the nature of governance. Despite these
constitutional provisions, as well as the enormous financial resources, and
huge potentials for MDGs, including the social and economic policies that have
been implemented by successive administrations good governance continues to be
elusive to Nigeria.

It
is against this background that this study sets out to unravel the impact of
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) efforts on poverty reduction in Anambra
State Nigeria, 2006-2015. The study specifically investigates the links between
good governance in management of Millennium Development Goals funds and the
policy of poverty reduction in Anambra State; and the state implementation of
neo-liberal policies and poverty reduction programme.

1.2   Statement of the Problem

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