STATE ECONOMIC OBJECTIVES AND UNFAIR POLICIES VIS A-VIZ MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS: AN APPRAISAL

Abstract

The concepts of social justice and equality of status and opportunity in Nigeria are deeply embedded in our laws. They are specifically part of state economic objectives in the Nigerian constitution. The transformation of these provisions through State policies to impact and form the path of everyday transactions in Nigeria appears to be a mirage. The economic objectives though laudable but with practically no commitment on the part of the State seem to have exposed the objectives as somewhat worthless. However, the onset of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) initiations in 2015 brought with it increased hopes and aspirations in the policy paradigm. This paper examines some economic policies of the state from the end of Nigeria's Civil war to the MDGs to ascertain if the state is practically engaging in policies towards the maximum welfare of her citizens considering the huge financial investments in the MDGs. The work found that some inroads were made through the MDGs in the expansion of the state economic policies but could not be sustained due to violent conflicts and a lack of commonwealth in the state. The work recommends that the state should jettison all ethnic prejudices that have bedeviled it and be decisive in its actions in the implementation of any policy for the benefit of its citizens.