By Innocent Odoh
Abuja
As the 2015 deadline for Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Nigeria draws closer, the Ministry of Finance has been urged to begin timely release of funds to achieve the objectives of the MDGs.
Speaking at the closing session of the Presidential Summit on Millennium Development Goals and Post -2015 Development Agenda, the Chairman House Committee on MDGs, Ado Dogowa, lamented that the Finance Ministry had been epileptic in the release of funds to fast-track the MDGs projects.
He said: “I want to lament that some of the institutions especially the finance ministry should have to wake up in the release of funds. They must release funds timely because without funds the MDGs will not be achieved.
“I have to speak for the agency to tell you that our problem is late release of funds. It is about late releases of funds. They have to release funds on time as far as MDGs is concerned.”
He urged the stakeholders to rededicate themselves to the commitment made by President Goodluck Jonathan in order to achieve the MDGS objectives in the remaining 500 days.
“I still believe that 500 days are still good days for us to achieve the unfinished business so that by 2015 we have a very negligible number of unfinished business of MDGs into the sustainable post development goals.”
He lauded the President Goodluck Jonathan for his relentless commitment to the achievement of MDGs in the country, saying that “the President has passionately been committed in actualizing the MDGs. His commitments are unparalleled. “
“This is the only President that finds time despite his tight schedules to handle the business of MDGs.”
Also, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on (MDGs), Dr. Precious Gbenoel, said that following the progress recorded through the State Conditional Grant Scheme (CGS), “Nigeria embarked on the scale up of integrated investment at the local government level called the CGS to LGA track, which has been regarded globally as the single largest intervention targeted at rural development.”
The World Bank Country Director, Mrs. Marie-Francoise Marie Nelly, said the stakeholders had identified other alternative funding sources for the post-2015 MDGs post development agenda.
