The federal government, through the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2013 Conditional Grant Scheme (CGS), will provide 3,383 health projects, 7,015 educational projects, 2,780 water and sanitation facilities across 210 local government areas(LGAs) in the country. Similarly 697 agricultural and wealth creation projects are to be provided at the local governments.

The senior special assistant to the president on MDGs, Dr Precious Gbeneol, made this known during the pre-implementation exercise of the CGS to LGAs for 2013. She said to ensure that community members are adequately mobilised to make use of the health and educational facilities, the federal government has engaged the services of village health workers and community education extension workers in all participating LGAs. The scheme she said would be launched by the First Lady Dame Patience Jonathan on February, 4.

Gbeneol however admonished the participating local governments to adhere strictly to the projects time frame.

In his remarks, the chairman House Committee on MDGs, Hon. Al-Hassan Doguwa noted with dismay that though President Goodluck Jonathan was committed to the success of the MDGs his commitment has not been so supported at the implementation level. He said the president had given an express order to the Ministry of Finance to attend to the needs of MDGs and release funds but that has not been the case. He lamented that engaging the states in the first quarter of 2014 for 2013 projects leaves a lot to be desired.