The Federal Government has reiterated her commitment to achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Nigeria. The Senior Special Assistant to the President on SDGs Princess Adejoke Orelope Adefulire reiterated the Federal Government commitment in a meeting held in her office with the Global Director, Oxford Poverty and Human Development initiative, Professor Sabina Alkire, on Tuesday 27th February, 2024.
Princess Orelope stated that since inception of SDGs in 2016, appropriate institutional frameworks were established at the National and Subnational level to support effective implementation of the SDGs, saying that Nigeria has presented her first and second Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) 2017 and 2020 respectively, which has earned the nation the international commendations. She said since 2022, Nigeria was ready to present the third Voluntary National Review, Stating that these efforts made Nigeria the benchmark for other countries.
The SSAP on SDGs pointed out that her office developed a coherent SDGs implementation plan 2030, re-aligned National Statistical System (NSS)to effectively track and monitor the implementation of SDGs on annual basis, supporting states to mainstream SDGs amongst other implementation plans.
She said in her efforts to achieve SDGs in Nigeria, the young ones were not left behind as she explained that SDGs were simplified with cartoon illustrations for the young ones in schools to understand, just as her office is works with younger people to develop knowledge on digital economy.
Princess Adejoke stressed that people need to show understanding, contribute their quota, show support for government to do more, promising that “we will not rest until SDGs is fully achieved”. she assured that her office will continue to learn and share more ideas with development partners to make progress just as she expressed appreciation to the development partners and thanked them for their support, stating that “we are all working for peace that will bring prosperity”.
In her address the Global Director, Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative, Professor Sabina Alkire, emphasized the need, as it contained in Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) document, to integrate policies to simplify and ease the implementation of SDGs, believing that MPI would be another effective way for SDGs implementation solution in Nigeria.
Also in the meeting were the representatives of United Nation Development Programme (UNDP), Joyce Oburu and National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Lodir Ibrahim. They expressed readiness and continuous support of their organization for the implementation of SDGs for prosperous Nigeria.
Rotimi Ajayi
Director, Communications
OSSAP-SDGs
