Read at : Google Alert – desertification
http://allafrica.com/stories/200911190569.html
Nigeria: Group Decries Rising Poverty Rate, Infant Mortality
Danjuma Michael
18 November 2009
Katsina — An international based Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) Pan African Development on Education and Advocacy Programme (PADEAP), has decried the rising rate of poverty, gender in-equality, maternal and infant mortality in the country; calling on stakeholders to rise up to their challenges.
Programme Director of PADEAP, Dr. Tominke Olaniyan, whose organisation is spearheading an awareness campaign towards proper and timely execution of MDG programmes in the North West states of Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto and Kebbi States, made the call in Katsina.
Olaniyan said task before the organisation is to deal with eradication of poverty, gender inequality, maternal and infant mortality, desertification and desert encroachment that endangers farmers and people of North-West Zone in relation to income generation.
She maintained that until government at all levels recognise and do something about monies being diverted from MDGs and capital being wasted on elephant projects, much cannot be achieved in combating maternal and infant mortality, desertification, gender inequality, and the like.
She averred that inequality is not peculiar to Africa alone, but that when left unchecked, could lead to conflicts, continued injustices, and other hydra-headed problems, hence the need for stakeholders to rise up to the task of fighting poverty and injustices in their domain.
In a remark, the United Nations Millennium Campaign (UNMC) assistant, Mr. A. Akinseloyin, lamented high level of ignorance about MDGs objectives and funds being remitted to governments in the North-West Zone for projects, thus paving way for diversion or siphoning of the funds instead of the projects they are meant for.
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