The United Nations becomes the undertaker

United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed's recent appearance at a leadership conference in Abuja has sparked controversy, with critics accusing her of employing "image-laundering" by using her international standing to endorse the Nigerian government's self-portrayal. Her speech, which touched on social contracts, inclusive economies, and climate resilience, was framed in the "neutral language of multilateral aspiration."

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She spoke of social contracts, inclusive economies, climate resilience, and democratic foundations. Mohammed praised Nigeria’s “vibrant independent media.” She cited IMF and World Bank growth projections. She invoked Tafawa Balewa. It was a masterclass in what I once called image-laundering, the deployment of international prestige to validate a government’s self-description, dressed in the neutral language of multilateral aspiration.

The criticism is amplified by Mohammed's history with Nigeria's development initiatives. As the head of the Office of the Senior Special Adviser to the President on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) from 2005, she oversaw approximately $1 billion annually in debt relief savings. Despite this substantial funding, Nigeria reportedly failed to meet most MDG targets by 2011. An internal monitoring unit she established found that between 2006 and 2008 alone, government agencies "mismanaged" the majority of the N320 billion allocated to them.

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Her mandate was to supervise $1 billion per year in Paris Club debt relief savings, committed by Nigeria to achieving the MDGs. She served six years, overseeing what was, by 2011, $6 billion in development funds. Nigeria missed virtually every MDG target.

Further scrutiny surrounds the Millennium Villages project, which Mohammed championed. Despite external declarations of its failure, she defended the initiative, claiming it reached millions of Nigerians. However, a decade later, concrete evidence, projects, or documentation demonstrating the effective expenditure of the $10 billion in MDG funds remains elusive. Critics question why, if the funds were spent as described, Nigeria's development outcomes were so poor. Mohammed's subsequent appointment as UN Deputy Secretary-General and her role in architecting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework, intended as a corrective to MDG failures, has intensified these lingering questions about accountability and the use of development aid.

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Think about that: N180 billion per annum. A separate investigation found that the Ministry of Health alone squandered most of the N54 billion it received within that period. These are not my findings. They are hers.