THE ROLE OF A PUBLIC HEALTH ENGINEER IN NIGERIA

REVIEWING THE UNITED NATION MILLENIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS

CASE STUDY: TEDDER HALL, UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN

BY

RABIU WASIU ADESOYE

SUPERVICED BY: DR (MRS) AKINTAYO UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN.

ABSTRACT Sustainable urbanization is a global challenge. Rapid urban expansion without effective environmental consciousness means that in virtually every urban center, a substantial proportion of the population is at risk from natural and human-induced environmental hazards. This paper examines some of the challenges of urbanization that has lead to the increase in the intake of the students by the school authority and sustainable environment to cater for this increase. An assessment of the nations implementation of the United Nations Millennium Development goals is done. The paper examines the goals pertaining to housing planning and environmental sustainability and their application in Nigerian urban centers where schools hostels were not let out. It was discovered that none of the identified goals or targets has been adequately addressed at tough within Tedder hall which one can easily infer that the same goes to all other hall within the school. Therefore, the University of Ibadan is far from achieving Sustainable Development. The paper concludes by recommending some urban planning strategies for achieving sustainable urban development within the University. CHALLENGES OF SUSTAINABILITY AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT IN UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN,IBADAN OYO STATE,NIGERIA: REVIEWING THE MILLENIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS

INTRODUCTION The most serious problems confronting cities, towns and their inhabitants as identified in Agenda 21(1996) include the following: spreading homelessness and expansion of squatter settlements, lack of health and educational facilities, improper land use, insecure land tenure, rising traffic congestion, increasing pollution, lack of green spaces, inadequate water supply and sanitation, uncoordinated urban development and an increasing vulnerability to disaster. All these have seriously challenged the capacity of government at all levels to realize socio- economic development and environmental protection, which are all components of sustainable development. University of Ibadan has been experiencing an accelerated shift of her populations from the intake of student due to high rate in the number of students choosing the school every being the 2

primmer among others. This rapid rate of increase in population has engendered several challenges and problems similar to situations in other parts of the Nigeria society which was formerly not so. The problems identified in Agenda 21are prevalent in Mellanby hall. Todays Nigerian city, according to Mabogunje (2002) is typified by substandard and inadequate housing, slums, and lack of infrastructure, transportation problems, low productivity, poverty, crime and juvenile delinquency. Urbanization, according to him is the root cause of the high rates of environmental degradation, pollution and social delinquency. In order to address the problem of poor housing planning and promote sustainable development, the United Nations Millennium Declaration was adopted in September 2000, as a means of combating housing, pollution, and disease out spread. This was done by the Government official by reviewing the master plane of most the areas including schools in which this report fall parts of. This was what lead to the 2006 census in Nigeria to met up to the UN goals. This lead to school advocating to the federal Government to do all they can to help increased the facilities within school such has drinkable water supply, renovation of the sewage system since population planed for from design has increased . The goals include those dedicated to eradication of malaria and other diseases, ensuring environmental sustainability and developing a global partnership for development. Nigeria is a signatory to the Millennium Declaration and has a responsibility to implement the goals.

Various scholars have studied the challenges of sustainability and urban development in Nigeria. Some of them include Falade (1999) whose study focused on the challenges of a sustainable Nigeria. 3

However, since urban development occurs in a continuum, this paper focuses on the effects of a global development initiative, the Millennium Development Goals, on inadequate drinkable water, pollution, hostel congestion, deterioration of facilities using Tedder hall in the University in Oyo State Nigeria as a case study. The study examines the concept of sustainable development on flood control, the challenges of over population, diseases out break within the hall and adaptation in hall, and analyzes the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals, in order to ascertain the level of achievement of the goals and targets especially those dedicated to housing, portable water for drinking, check on disaster that may lead to lose of life and properties and disease out break due to pollution which one of it cause could be overcrowding. CHALLENGES OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA As this comes up, it will equally tell on the school environment has the school is a part of the urban center which provide the society for learning. The Human Development Report (2004) records that 45.9% of the 120.9million(2002estimates) strong population of Nigeria resides in urban centers. According to Mabogunje (2002), residents of urban centers in Nigeria in 1950 were less that 15% of the population. By 1975, this proportion had risen to 23.4% and by 2000 was 43.3%. According to him, urban population growth rate is 4.8% annually; markedly higher than the national annual growth rate of 2.2%(HDR, 2004). The prognosis is that by 2015, more than half of the nations population would be urban dwellers wish may lead to poor housing scheme traffic congestion and pollution due human activities.

STUDY AREA Tedder hall been one of the premier halls of the University was built as far back as 1948 to reside students. The hall is located at the central of the school administration sharing boundary with the school Faculty of Arts and Mellanby hall with four blocks ranging from block A (for the non finalist) to block D (the finalist block) with a population of seven hundred students. 4

The hall equally have a central caf and a laundry. The hall still stands as check for all other male hall within the school. So, the place of Tedder hall can not be over emphasis in University of Ibadan. THE UNITED NATIONS MELLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS At the 2000 United Nations Millennium Summit, the 191 member nations of the United Nations adopted the Millennium Declaration. The following year, the Secretary General put forward eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that contain 18 numerical and timebound targets and 48 indicators intended to improve living conditions and remedy major global imbalances by 2015. According to Mabogunje (2002), the 1991National Population Census recorded 359 urban settlements of at least 20,000 people in the nation and estimated the figure to have increased to 450 by 2000. Urban development problems in Nigeria could be viewed from both socio-economic and environmental perspectives. Increase in the urban population has resulted in the proliferation of slums and informal peri-urban settlements otherwise known as shantytowns. The shantytowns as described by Aina (1990) are deprived settlements characterized by excessive residential densities, largely uninhabitable housing and the absence of sanitation, building infrastructure on water ways and social services. Urban Public Health In Nigeria: Harpham and Tanner (1995), Atkinson et al (1996) and Bradley et al (1999) in various studies discovered that urban dwellers in less developed countries are exposed to the traditional scourges associated with living in a poor country, such as malnutrition, measles, and malaria; afflictions resulting from newly modernizing societies, such as obesity, cancer, and road accidents; and the deterioration of mental health and increased rates of psychiatric disorders and deviant behavior that are associated with degraded living conditions, overcrowding, and rapid social and cultural change in urban areas. All these health consequences of urbanization are evident on the Nigerian city scene. 5

1.

Environmental Hazards in Tedder Hall: The environment provides all life support systems with air, water and land as well as the materials for fulfilling all developmental aspirations of man. The hall environment today presents a grim litany of woes. The hall today is especially vulnerable to pollution, diseases out break. Storm out break had damage some part of the buildings. The waste from the cafeteria pose significant environmental threat to hall residents.

2. Overcrowding within the hall: at the inception of the school as far back 1948, it was two people per room for block A and block C while it was then one person in a room for D-block and B-block. At present the number per room has increased due to increased in the intake of students. This has lead to diseases out break within the hall and the number of student visiting Jaja hospital has increased.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT Sustainable development is the development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (WCED, 1987). The primary objective of sustainable development is to reduce the absolute environmental degradation, cultural disruption and social instability. The Earth Summit (UNCED), which took place in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, recognized the pressing environment and development problems of the world and, through the adoption of Agenda 21, produced a global programme of action for sustainable development in the 21 st century. Agenda 21 stresses the importance of partnerships in improving social, economic and environmental quality in urban areas. It suggests renewed focus on effective land use planning to include adequate environmental infrastructure, water, sanitation, drainage, transportation and solid waste management, in addition to a sound social infrastructure capable of alleviating hunger.

The 1997 Special Session of the UN General Assembly set a target date of 2002, for the formulation and elaboration of national strategies for sustainable development. National governments are to integrate environmental, economic and social objectives into decisionmaking by either elaborating new policies or strategies for sustainable development, or by adapting existing policies and plans. It also reaffirmed that all sectors of the society should be involved in their development and implementation. The World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD), held in August 2002, urged in its Plan of Implementation that nations should take steps to make progress in the formulation and elaboration of national strategies for sustainable development and begin their implementation. (UNDESA, 2004) The Millennium Declaration was signed in September 2000 in which all the member countries of the United Nations agreed on a set of international development targets, designed to help create a better world and to halve the scourge of related environmental problems by the year 2015. This study therefore analyzes the extent of compliance with these goals in the process of urban development in Nigeria MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS The MDGs are a set of minimal goals necessary for human development. The MDGs, with their high level of international consensus, also offer the possibility of tackling multiple issues at once, and in an integrated manner. For example, improving access to water and sanitation (goal 7) cannot be achieved without an understanding of gender roles and needs (goal 3). The eight Millennium Development Goals are: Goal 1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger Goal 2. Achieve universal primary education Goal 3. Promote gender equality and empower women Goal 4. Reduce child mortality Goal 5. Improve maternal health

Goal 6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases Goal 7. Ensure environmental sustainability Goal 8. Develop a global partnership for development For the purpose of this paper, Goals7 that focus on environmental sustainability will be considered to determine their success or otherwise with regards to urban development in Nigeria. The relevant goals and their targets and indicators are tabulated below TABLE 1: MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS 1 AND 7(GOALS, TARGETS AND INDICATORS) GOAL GOAL 7 ENSURE ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAIBABILITY TARGET INDICATOR 1. Integrate the principles of 1. Proportion of land area covered by forest sustainable development into 2. Ratio of area protected to maintain countries policies and biological diversity to surface area programmes and reverse the 3. Energy usage (kg oil equivalent) per US$1 loss of environmental resources GDP (PPP) 4. Carbon Dioxide Emission per capita, and consumption of ozone depleting CFCs 5. Proportion of population using solid fuels 2. Halve by 2015, the 6. Proportion of population with sustainable proportion of people without access to an improved water source, urban sustainable access to safe and regional drinking water and sanitation 7. Proportion of population with access to improved sanitation, urban and rural improved sanitation, urban and rural 3. By 2020, Achieve Significant 8. Proportion of households with access to Improvement in the lives of at secure tenure least 100million slum dwellers

Source: United Nations Development Programme (2001) The Millennium Development Goals www.undp.org/mdg;

GOAL 7 - ENSURE ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAIBABILITY TARGET 9: INTEGRATE THE PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN TO COUNTRYS POLICIES AND PROGRAMMES AND REVERSE THE LOSS OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES.

Nigeria covers a land surface area of 923,800 square kilometers. Figures for Nigeria with regards to the MDG Indicators relevant to this target are as follows: TABLE4 : MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOAL7- TARGET 9 STATISTICS FOR NIGERIA Indicators: Proportion of Land Area covered by forests 1990 1995 2001 (2.07%) (1.60%) 19,200 sq 14,800sq km km Proportion of land area protected to maintain 32357sq 32357sq biodiversity km km Energy usage (kg oil equivalent) per US $1 GDP 1.0 1.1 1.2 (PPP) Proportion of Population using solid fuels 82.3million Source : i. UNDP Human Development Report 2003 www.hdr.undp.org ii. United Nations Statistics Division (2003) UNSD Millennium indicator Database www.milleniumindicators.un.org iii. World Bank (2004) World Development Indicators Database, August 2004 www.worldbank.org Nigeria is a party to international Conventions on Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection and Whaling. However the nation is not a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol to the Framework Convention of Climate Change. At the national level, various environmental laws have also been enacted and some of them are the Land Use Decree of 1978; Endangered Species Act of 1985 Federal Environmental Protection Agency Act, Cap 131 of 1988; Environmental Impact Assessment Decree 86 of 1992, and the Nigerian Urban and Regional Planning Decree 88 of 1992.

Nigeria is presently losing annually, about 351,000 sq km of its land mass to the desert which is advancing southward at the rate of 0.6 km per year.(FOS, 1997) The intensification of the use of fragile and marginal ecosystems has led to progressive degradation and continued desertification of marginal agricultural lands Flash floods from torrential rains wash away thousands of hectares of farmland. Uncontrolled logging and tree felling accentuated by lack of re-stocking are the order of the day in many parts of the southern states of Nigeria. This carries 9

with it loss of precious biological diversity. Also an estimated 484 plant species in 112 families are threatened with extinction because of habitat destruction and deforestation. Many of our cities are concrete jungles where plants are no longer used for home landscaping. The new Federal Capital Territory at Abuja is a pathetic example of this development where the rich and natural vegetation is being systematically depleted as a result of increasing human pressure. The rampant bush burning is threatening the growth of trees and wildlife species and reducing the ecological diversity of the area; gravel mining for construction is aggravating the problem of erosion and surface run-off; while indiscriminate discharge of particulates from construction sites is already leading to pollution and siltation. More recently, areas earmarked as green belts and recreational areas are being systematically converted into building sites.

Nigeria's total primary energy consumption is steadily rising as the country's population is multiplying. Nigeria's carbon dioxide emissions are still below the OPEC average. The use of solid biomass, such as fuel wood, is prevalent and constitutes a major energy source. During the 1990s, for instance, Nigeria lost nearly 500 square miles of forested land annually, in part due to fuel wood consumption (EIA, 2003). The production and consumption of commercial renewable energy in Nigeria remains quite limited. With Nigeria's population continuing to increase, the pressure on the country's environment appears likely to increase as well, and that makes it increasingly difficult to achieve the Millennium Development Goal with regards to environmental sustainability TARGET 10: HALVE BY 2015, THE PROPORTION OF PEOPLE WITHOUT SUSTAINABLE ACCESS TO SAFE DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION. Statistics to cover the MDG Indicators relevant to this target for Nigeria are presented below: TABLE6: MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOAL7- TARGET 10 STATISTICS FOR NIGERIA Indicators: 1990 Proportion of Population with sustainable access to improves 53.0% water 2001 62.0% 10

Proportion of Population with access to improved sanitation

53.0%

54.0%

Sources: i. UNDP Human Development Report 2003 www.hdr.undp.org ii. United Nations Statistics Division (2003) UNSD Millennium indicator Database www.milleniumindicators.un.org iv. World Bank (2004) World Development Indicators Database, August 2004 www.worldbank.org Lack of clean water and basic sanitation are the main reasons for the diseases that are common in Nigeria. An improved water source is any form of water collection or piping used to make water regularly available. It is not the same as safe water, but there is no practical measure of whether water supplies are safe. Connecting all households to a reliable source of water that is reasonably protected from contamination would be an important step toward improving health and reducing the time spent in collecting water. RECOMMENDATIONS: ACHIEVING SUSTAINABILITY IN NIGERIAS URBAN DEVELOPMENT Sustainability, Urban Development and the Achievement of the Millennium Development Goals can be achieved by a pragmatic and efficient campaign aimed at tackling environmental degradation. Environmental degradation and poverty are inextricably intertwined. Bartone(1991) said that economic disadvantages usually as a result of unemployment/ underemployment are the root causes of urban poverty and environmental degradation. Applying the following strategies will go a long way towards mitigating the effects of urban poverty and environmental degradation. Land Regulation and Integration 1. Ensure appropriate implementation and monitoring of master plans for major towns where they exist and the preparation and implementation of new ones where they are non-existent or out of date. (Goal 7 Target 9) 2. Develop and implement guidelines and put in place appropriate institutional arrangement for effective land resources management. (Goal 7 Target 11) 3. Promote easy access to land, especially for low-income families. (Goal 7 Target 11) 11

4. Renewal of all existing slum areas and prevent conditions that may lead to the development of new ones. (Goal 7 Target 11) 5. Promote the development of parks and gardens and ensure retention of adequate natural green areas within human settlements to maintain ecological balance and amenity. (Goal 7 Target 9) Participatory Urban Management 1. Replicate the Sustainable Cities Programmes (SCP) in major urban centers in Nigeria. (Goal 2 Targets 9 and 11) 2. Adopt an integrated approach to the provision of water, electricity, sanitation, drainage and solid waste management.(Goal 2 Target 10) 3. Encourage private sector and community participation in urban renewal activities, housing and infra-structural provision.(Goal 2 Targets 10 and 11)

Support for the Urban Informal Sector Improve the informal economy through the development of cottage and agro-allied industries to create job opportunities (Goal 1 Target 1 and 2)

Rural development 1. Provide not less than 75% of rural communities with social amenities to stimulate and sustain self-reliant development to curb rural-urban migration. (Goal 7 target 9).

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CONCLUSION Environmental degradation is both a cause and consequence of poverty. It is the poorest farmer and herdsman, the assetless households and settlers of shantytowns and industrial margin areas who are the most exposed to hunger, famine and starvation. (Olanrewaju, 2003). The Millennium Development Goals are interdependent. Achieving one will help achieve the others (Jolly, 2003). Therefore, addressing the most pressing challenges of the urban poor will result in the reduction of environmental degradation and the achievement of sustainable urbanization.

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