Niger Delta Human Development Report - UNDP Nigeria - United ...

urban and urban areas. Drawing from data
from the National Bureau of Statistics
(2005), the most widespread methods of
waste or refuse disposal are disposal within
household compounds (an average of 56.9
per cent) and disposal in authorized heaps
(34 per cent). Other methods are through
collection by government (3.3 per cent),
collection by private service providers (2.7
per cent), the use of government disposal
bins (1.4 per cent) and others (2.7 per cent).
See also chart 1.7 for data on the
distribution of household toilet facilities.
Recent ecological studies have shown that
the adverse consequences of waste
generation and improper disposal have
been severe on both people and the
environment. These effects have also
influenced the stagnation of human
livelihoods and the region's economy. In
increasing the misery and impoverishment
of the populace, they have exacerbated
political tension, acrimony, outright conflicts
and violence.
Education
Statistical estimates have put the proportion
of children attending primary school at 80
per cent (which compares favourably with
the estimated national average of 54 per
cent). But across the region, nearly all
school facilities are in a state of extreme
disrepair, requiring major rehabilitation.
The secondary school system has been
seriously afflicted by shortages of quality
teachers, a regional pattern that is becoming
increasingly acute due in large part to
discordance between investments in
infrastructure outside a well-coordinated
planning process.
Revealing the immense challenge to
development and provision of social
amenities for sustainable livelihood, an
NDES report (2000) noted that in the
Niger Delta states, covering some 30,000
square kilometres and with over 3,800
settlements and an estimated eight million
people, there were only 2,169 primary
schools and 545 secondary schools. For
primary schools, this implied one school per
3,700 people serving an area of 14 square
kilometres, and one school for every two
settlements. For secondary schools, the ratio
is one school per 14,679 people serving an
area of 55 square kilometres, and one
school for every seven settlements.
Health and health service delivery
Dismal health and health service delivery
pitals, clinics and primary health centres;
and a lack of effective operational plans
for holistic health management. The
majority of Niger Delta communities living
in isolated areas lack the most basic
modern medical care, including first aid,
given the absence of formal health services
in much of the hinterland (for the various
dimensions of infrastructure and social
services in the region, see the NDDC
Regional Master Plan, 2003/2004, chapter
one, pp. 1-19).
The focus groups provided corroborative
evidence on the status of health in the
region, affirming that modern health care
facilities are largely absent. The few existing
public health care centers are all in critical
need of repair. Villagers described them as
moribund and offering little or no
assistance. The centers lack doctors, nurses,
and critical supplies such as drugs, syringes
and sterilizers. There were a few privately
run clinics, but focus group members said
services there cost exorbitant amounts.
Community members resort to local and
traditional remedies to deal with their health
conditions.
According to the NDES (1997),
communities have identified health as a
major issue that must be addressed to
improve their quality of life. In addition to
a range of diseases such as malaria,
gastroenteritis, respiratory track infections,
measles, worm infestation, anaemia and
heart diseases, malnutrition was seen as a
major problem, especially among children,
with about 10 per cent to 12 per cent
severely malnourished, 18 per cent to 23
per cent moderately so, and 30 per cent to
40 per cent mildly malnourished. Fuelling
this problem is a perceived lack of correct
breastfeeding methods and household food
insecurity.
According to an NDES (2000) report on
primary health care, there is a ratio of only
one health care facility for every 9,805
people, with the average facility serving an
area of 44 square kilometres. There is one
facility for approximately every 43
settlements. The numbers worsen for
secondary health care. There is only one
facility for every 131,174 people, serving
Dismal health and
health care service
delivery manifests in
poor hygiene; little or no
health information and
education; a grossly
inadequate capacity for
service delivery;
inadequate provision of
hospitals, clinics and
primary health centres;
and a lack of effective
operational plans for
holistic health
management.
Nearly all school
facilities are in a state of
extreme disrepair,
requiring major
rehabilitation. The
secondary school system
in particular has been
seriously afflicted by
shortages of quality
teachers.
32 NIGER DELTA HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT