Abstract

ABSTRACT With the desire to ensure development in all ramifications of both rich and poor countries of the world, the United Nations came up with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on the 8th of September 2000. The declaration outlines within a single framework the challenges facing humanity at the threshold of the new millennium and how to go about overcoming such challenges by the year 2015. Generally in Nigeria, progress towards reaching the goals has been very slow. However, in some local governments of the federation, attempts have been initiated towards the attainment of some of the goals, and such areas include; universal primary education, heath which both fall under the concurrent list of the functions of the local government. Nevertheless, it should be noted that most local governments in Nigeria have been unable to attain these goals. The paper adopted documentary methodology with the use of secondary data. Thus, data is collected through published and unpublished sources such as text books, newspapers, seminar papers, journals and magazine. The finding of this paper shows that the hinderance to the attainment of the MDGs goals is as a result of some major problems like corruption, limited autonomy, bad leadership, unqualified staff, and lack of accountability, just to mention a few which have weakened the grass root which is supposed to be the basic foundation for development. This paper recommends that for these Millennium Development Goals to be achieved and bring about development at the local level in Nigeria, there is the need for a value reorientation and enlightenment of the people at the grassroots level to know their right as citizens.