Millennium Development Goals and Poverty in Nigeria – An Empirical Analysis

Abstract

As Nigeria counts down to 2015, there is need to evaluate millennium development goals (MDGS) to appraise the efforts that have been put in place to achieve them and the possible effect on poverty which is endemic in Nigeria. Literacy rate (LR), Infant mortality rate (IMR), Life expectancy rate (LER), Per capita income (PCI), Trade Openness (TO) were used to capture MDGS and poverty index (PI) was used to capture poverty incidence in Nigeria. Correlation analysis shows LR has a positive and significant association with PI, PCI and TO but negative and significant association with IMR at 0.01 level of significance. LR has a positive and significant association with PCI and TO but a negative and significant one with IMR. IMR has a very strong, negative and significant association with PCI and TO but the association is not significant with LER. LER does not have a significant association with PCI and TO, PCI has a very strong, positive and significant association with TO. The overall correlation coefficient (r = 0.837^a) shows that the indicators of MDGs have strong, positive and significant association with PI at 0.01 level of significance. Regression analysis shows that PCI and IMR have a negative and significant effect on poverty incidence in Nigeria but LR has a positive and significant effect on PI. MDGs indicators have a significant effect on PI in Nigeria. It is therefore recommended that; each of the dimensions of poverty in Nigeria should be identified and solve so that the nation can experience growth and development.

Key Words: Millennium Development Goals, Poverty, Literacy rate, Life Expectancy Rate, Mortality Rate.