The African regional office of the UN Millennium Campaign for Africa has said that it is unacceptable that 300,000 people die of malaria annually in Nigeria.
The Deputy Director of the office, Ms Sylvia Mwichuli, made the remarks during an enlightenment program organized for journalists on the UN anti-poverty campaign.
Mwichuli said Nigeria remained strategic to the attainment of the UN goals in Africa and should play a leading role in the eradication of poverty and hunger in the region.
“It is unacceptable that in a country of abundant resources malaria is killing 300,000 annually.
“The whole of Africa is looking up to Nigeria for leadership but if the country is producing such discouraging results, the reverse could be the case.”
She called on the Nigerian authorities to take urgent steps to address the gaps in meeting the targets of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015.
She maintained that African countries had no reasons not to meet the targets of MDGs by 2015 considering the resources at their disposal.
The deputy director explained that the campaign was a platform for citizens to have their say in the running of their country and advised that such opportunity should not be allowed to slip by.
Source African Press Agency
