Public Policy as Dividends of Democracy: An Appraisal of the ‘Abiye’ Safe Motherhood Programme in Ondo State, Nigeria

Abstract

Public policy is a well thought-out statement and coordinated plan of action by government to address and solve identified problems facing members of the public. Its ‘publicness’ derives from its ability to comprehend the supra-value of the public interest and over-arching desire to meet the needs and aspirations of the people in a manner that conforms to their expectations. In Africa, as in some other parts of the world, however, implementation appears to be the graveyard of public policy. Experience reveals that many so-called public policies are driven by private, individual or group interests that affect their delivery capacities. Where this is not the case, policy implementation encounters so many problems, including that of continuity that they fail to achieve the expected good for members of the public on a sustainable, long term basis. In light of the above, this paper assesses the ‘Abiye’ Safe Motherhood Programme of the Ondo State Government in South-West Nigeria, which was designed to address the challenge of high maternal mortality in order to meet one of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). To achieve these, the author examines the groundwork for the programme, its structure, implementation, reach and impacts on the lives of the people by combining the social survey method of interview with content analysis of available literature. Our findings show that although the programme succeeded in reducing maternal mortality rate significantly within the state, like other public policies and programmes in many unstable democracies of the Third World, it nevertheless faced several challenges related to implementation. The paper addresses these and its lessons in order to improve the delivery capacities, outcomes and the sustainability of key public policies in developing countries.

Key words: Public policy, Dividends of Democracy, Safe Motherhood Programme.