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The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, rounded off his visit to Nigeria on Tuesday night with a dinner hosted in his honour by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The 2-day visit featured high level discussions with the President, state governors, the business community, top Nigerian health officials and a visit to the UN headquarters where Ki-moon laid a wreath in honour of the UN staff killed four years ago in one of Boko Haram’s serial attacks.
The UN Chief’s visit has been hailed by Nigerians who viewed it as a boost to the country’s struggle to achieve the UN’s eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – which range from halving extreme poverty rates to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education, all by the target date of 2015.
While Nigeria is reported to have made steady progress in achieving some of the MDGs, the nation’s child and maternal mortality ratio remain one of the bighest in the world, making the achievement of MDG 4 and 5 impossible in 2015.
The secretary-general is on his way to Paris to discuss preparations for a major climate change conference to be held there in December. He is also expected to meet with French President Francois Hollande.
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