Achieving Millennium Development

The rate at which humanity is presently battered by the effect of violence and poverty originating from bad governance, corruption, natural disasters, etc., remains a point of concern for every responsible mind. The standard of living in many third world countries has continued to degrade at an alarming pace, reducing the citizens to a life of untold hardship, which robs them of their human dignity and worth as creatures made in the image of God. It was against this background that the decision and determination of the United Nations to savage the dilapidating human condition in our era was welcomed with a deep breath of relief. The UN target, therefore, was to achieve the following goals: eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, achievement of universal primary education, promotion of gender equality and empowerment of women, reduction of child mortality, improvement of material health, combating of HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, ensuring environmental sustainability, and development of global partnership for development. All these were to be achieved by the year 2015. However, after fourteen years of the inauguration of the above stated goals, the question remains as to whether the implementation is being carried out, and again whether with what we have on ground, there is any hope of meeting up before the targeted 2015 elapses. Obviously, it is here that the common dictum that says Things are more easily said than done plays out very well. The question, therefore, that seems to be hanging on many lips presently is, Does it imply that the whole hope is lost? Certainly no! This is because as far back as 1984 (thirty years ago) one of our own here in Africa in the person of Rev. Fr. Prof. EMP Edeh had already foreseen the impending doom in our world and, without unnecessary speculation and attracting of attention, started practically to tackle these problems that came to attract UN attention just fifteen years ago. These activities are propelled by his philosophy, which sees man as the good that is and therefore deserving love and care. This book therefore has shown in concrete form how Fr. Edeh has achieved all the millennium development goals through his philosophy and activities, one and half decade ago before the United Nations came up with millennium development goals.