The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

  • 65 million displaced by conflicts, disasters – Amina Mohammed

    Today, an unprecedented 65 million people around the world have been displaced due to conflict and disaster, the UN Deputy Secretary-General, Ms. Amina Mohammed, has said.

    Mohammed, who made the remarks at the “Solve at the United Nations” event on Tuesday, also said “there are 21 million refugees.

    “Half are under the age of 18. We cannot allow them to become a lost generation.

    “The world is closing its doors on these refugees, even though investing in them is investing in future peace”.

    She said behind the immediate concerns of conflict, refugees and global economic uncertainty, climate change now poses a tangible and increasing threat.

    Climate change is already having devastating effects on communities, nations and regions, she said.

    “And it is a proven threat multiplier, meaning that if we don’t address it now, the chances of future wars, conflicts, disasters and mass displacement will grow.”

    According to her, it is essential for the world to work together as an international community and a global family, for a low carbon future and implement the promise of the Paris Agreement.

    And, we must do this holistically in tandem with working to achieve all the other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), she said.

    “We need solutions to chronic diseases, such as heart disease, strokes, cancer, respiratory diseases and diabetes.

    “These are now the leading cause of mortality, representing 60 per cent of all deaths.

    “We need better sanitation, cleaner air and water, sustainable cities and agriculture, and governance that puts people first.”

    The UN deputy scribe said working for the SDGs is not charity but self-interest for the present and future generations adding, it is investment in preventing future disaster, conflict and crisis.

    “I worked very closely with member States, business, civil society and academia on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the accompanying Sustainable Development Goals when I was Special Adviser to the Secretary-General.

    “Each of those Goals feels like one of my children. Like a family, the Goals are all different but inter-related, and each depends on the others.

    “Together, they are a bold and transformative blueprint for a world of peace and prosperity where no one is left behind.

    “In practice, that means ending poverty and hunger; providing opportunities for all to fulfil their potential and protecting our home, the planet,” she said.

    ‘Solve at the United Nations’ is a live pitch event, where selected innovators pitch their solutions to solve challenges on refugee education, carbon contributions, and chronic diseases to a panel of expert judges and a live audience.

     

  • Osinbajo inaugurates Private Sector Advisory Group for SDGs

    Osinbajo inaugurates Private Sector Advisory Group for SDGs

    Acting President Yemi Osinbajo on Tuesday inaugurated the Private Sector Advisory Group for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    According to him, the event marks the beginning of the unique partnership between the public and private sector.

    He said that he believed that Nigerian elite, including political, business and religious, have a responsibility to ensure that things are done fundamental for the Nigerian society.

    He said: “Everywhere in the world, it is that elite that have always make a difference in the societies. Those are the ones responsible for transformation.

    “Many of the societies that have been truly transformed have done so when their elite decided that it was necessary to do so.

    “Sometimes, when you look at our situation, you think that it is necessary to force the political and private sector elite together to do something. But the truth is that whether or not we recognize it formally, they are doing things together whether it is for good or ill. The important thing is to recognize that we have an important role to play.

    “We have decided as an elite in this country that wealth is a measure of worth. It is a decision we made consciously or unconsciously.

    “The political elite have decided that wealth is a measure of worth and that is why you find so much corruption among the political elite. Even the religious elite believe that it is a blessing of God.

    “There are some societies that have decided that the value of human beings is in their contribution to the society. Those societies, of course, have done better than those who have decided that wealth, no matter how it was obtained, is a measure of worth.

    “I think is important if our elite decide that dealing with poverty is worth the while and that it will measure whether or not we are serious about our society.” he said

    He said that there is an enormous responsibility placed upon elite to do something about the millions of the extremely poor Nigerians.

    “This is how we are going to be measured. At the end of our lives, the question that will be asked is what is the impact that we made on people’s lives. Nobody will be measured by how much money we made or the positions we held.

    “A lot of our people in this country hand their hopes on us. They look up to us and believe we can do it and despite all the failures and the false starts, our people especially the poor and the vulnerable still believe that these elite will and can deliver.

    “Let us therefore take this as a personal responsibility to our people to do something profound that will make a huge difference in the lives of our people.

    “This is why I am so excited about this coming together of the public and private sector to ensure that the Sustainable Development Goals are realized in our time and that nobody is left behind.” he added

    The Senior Special Assistant to the President on SDGs, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, described the inauguration of the PSAG as a landmark event.

    She noted that Nigeria was the first United Nations member state to do so.

    According to her, it was a renewed partnership between business and government at the highest levels to build the consensus needed for the successful implementation of the SDGs.

    The SDGs, she said, acknowledged the connection among prosperity of business, a flourishing society and the health of the environment.

    She said that very few businesses can only thrive unless the countries in which they operate are thriving.

    She said, “No country has significantly improved people’s lives without the driving force of a vibrant economy.

    “In the face of a prevailing fiscal crunch, it has become urgent to leverage multi-stakeholder engagement to mobilize non-government resources for SDGs implementation.

    “It is in this recognition that the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals-Fund established the global Private Sector Advisory Group as a powerful platform for business leaders from across the world to interact, leverage comparative advantages, exchange lessons learned, promote South-South, North South and Triangular Cooperation and in the process, accelerate the attainment of the SDGs,” she added.

    She said that the duties of PSAG included engaging with and coordinating the Nigerian Private Sector to partner with the SDGs Office to implement an agreed roadmap; ensuring public-private alliances to provide large scale solutions towards achieving the SDGs; as well as working within a set of SDGs impact areas and focus on driving a specific targets that will be tracked, monitored, reported and reviewed periodically.

    Other duties, she said, are to partner with the SDGs Office to hold periodic Public-Private Dialogues to expand engagement for sustainable development; to promote and coordinate broad-based actions to deliver results while mobilising the entire private sector around SDGs priority areas; to galvanise business to deploy the UN global compact for durable development; as well as contributing and helping to mobilize resources for the successful implementation of the SDGs in line with the guidelines contained in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda.

  • Adopt Songhai agric model to boost food security – Expert

    Adopt Songhai agric model to boost food security – Expert

    An agriculturist, Prof. Godfrey Nzamujo, on Thursday urged the three tiers of government in the country to adopt the Songhai model of agriculture to boost food security and fight poverty.

    Nzamujo told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that the Songhai model, which involved integrated farming, should be adopted because of its capacity to boost agricultural productivity considerably.

    He said that the government should change its approach in its efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adding that it should adopt the Songhai model, which relied on the use of God-given resources, to accomplish this target.

    He said that the Songhai model had demonstrated that with deliberate investment in agriculture, the country can increase its revenue and reduce its dependence on petroleum as its sole foreign exchange earner.

    Nzamujo said that the Songhai model was an innovative approach that could be used to tackle challenges, such as food insecurity and poverty, environmental degradation and unemployment, facing African governments.

    “Nigeria needs to key into this new vision of making agriculture a weapon of mass construction, instead of mass destruction. Agriculture, if it is done in the Songhai way, will be a weapon of mass development.

    “We need to wake up and see that there is hope in this country; we should begin to invest in agriculture by harnessing the myriad opportunities available in our river basin development authorities.

    “The Songhai model is the mother for all commercial farming techniques; it promotes sustainable farming for food, for entrepreneurship and so on,’’ he said.

    Nzamujo moaned that African countries were still living in poverty in spite of their abundant natural and human resources, adding that with sustained investments in agriculture, Nigeria’s economy would improve appreciably.

    He said that Nigeria, with its huge population, must urgently initiate designed efforts to reduce hunger and unemployment, saying with the adoption of the Songhai model, effective use of small land areas for maximum impact would be encouraged.

    Nzamujo said although large number of Nigerians engaged in agriculture, they were only involved in smallholder farms, adding that there was a need to promote commercial agriculture.

    He said that the Federal Government’s partnership with Songhai Farms Limited in Benin Republic would ensure the pragmatic use of freshwater and land resources, while empowering farmers to create wealth.

    NAN reports that the Federal Government in 2016 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Songhai Farms, Porto-Novo, Benin Republic, to harness and exploit the resources of River Basin Development Authorities across the country.

  • Stolen funds: U.S. reiterates commitment

    Stolen funds: U.S. reiterates commitment

    The United States Government has again reiterated its commitment to assist Nigeria in recovering stolen funds from past administrations.

    Deputy Chief of Mission, U.S. Embassy, Mr David Young, gave the reassurance at an event to mark the International Anti-Corruption Day in Abuja on Thursday.

    “We know the recovery of stolen assets which are in the U.S and in other countries is an important part of that effort.

    “We are committed to partnering with the Nigerian Government, moving forward.

    Young said that the repatriation of the stolen funds was a “systemic effort that would take time adding that there were legal obligations that had to be met.

    The deputy head of mission also reiterated that corruption impacted negatively on governance and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

    He further said the government had a variety of means in place to fight corruption and was committed to working with Nigeria.

    He said the event, organised by the embassy, would result in an honest dialogue that would evaluate the country’s progress in the fight against corruption.

    Participants at the event also called on Nigerians not to see the war against corruption as the government’s responsibility alone.

    They also called for enhanced cooperation among institutions responsible for maintaining law and order.

    Mr Gbolahan Latona, Head of the Legal Department, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), said fighting corruption should be holistic.

    Latona added that inter-agency cooperation was important in tackling corruption.

    “All hands are welcome to fight this scourge,” he said.

    Commission Secretary, Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Mr Elvis Oglafa, said it was important to have a national anti-corruption goal.

    Oglafa called for strict anti-corruption measures to be put in place to ensure the actualisation of the SDGs.

    “Corruption is not our problem; our major problem is education; we are talking about systems that should work.

    “Corruption is the impediment to SDGs, that’s why we are saying the EFCC, ICPC, Code of Conduct Bureau are not enough.”

    Participants at the event were drawn from the legislature, the judiciary and civil society.

  • SDGs: Collaborate with education stakeholders’ for funds -Don

    SDGs: Collaborate with education stakeholders’ for funds -Don

    Prof. Mamman Shuaibu, former Director of Planning, Federal Ministry of Education has called on all education stakeholders to contribute their quota to fund Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) projects.

    On how to improve learning of Mathematics, Shuaibu told journalists in Abuja on Wednesday that training of teachers and students should not be left for Federal Government alone.

    He urged the National Mathematical Centre (NMC) to ensure that all the Mathematics teachers in primary schools benefited from the ongoing training organised by the centre under SDGs programme.

    Shuaibu said that the training would help to open the mental ability of the children to cope with the learning of Mathematics.

    “Ultimately, we have to help the children to learn Mathematics because it is so fundamental to everything

    “ It is important that the training should not be limited to teachers and students in the city schools, but be extended to other teachers/students in the rural areas.

    “ Let all other teachers of Mathematics in every school in the country benefit from the training.

    He suggested that states and local governments as stakeholders should key into this by ensuring that staff members, who had been trained could train other teachers, who did not have such opportunity.

    According to him, the rural teachers are the ones that need the training most, but with limited fund, there is no way the mathematical centre can cover all the schools in the villages/ communities.

    “ Hence the need for the three tiers of governments to contribute to the funding of the project.

    “ SDGs funding should not be the sole responsibility of the Federal Government as both states and local governments have a stake in the educational funding,’’ he said.

    Besides, Mr Olatunji Jekayinfa, SDGs Desk Officer NMC, said that the centre embarked on a project which was the implementation and popularisation of mental arithmetic training across Nigeria basic school.

    Jekayinfa said the essence of the training was to train students on the easy ways of learning Mathematics so as to bring back the mental training which had been eroded.

    “From our research, we discover why advanced worlds perform well in the mathematical science; the reason is because they deal on mental arithmetic training.

    “ They expose their students’ right from childhood to mental arithmetic training which is done through the Chinese mental abacus.

    The abacus system of mental calculation is a system where users mentally visualise an abacus to do calculations.

    No physical abacus is used; only the answers are written down. Calculations can be made at great speed in this way.

    He said that after exposing the students to this kind of learning, it would help them cope with the learning of Mathematics easily.

    Jekayinfa, nevertheless, noted that one of the major challenges the centre had while carrying out the programme was the paucity of funding as well as insecurity in some parts of the country.

  • 2016 Legislative summit: Reps name Dana Air official airline

    2016 Legislative summit: Reps name Dana Air official airline

    Dana Air has been announced as the official airline of the House Representatives 2016 Legislative Summit on Sustainable Development Goals, scheduled to hold on the 22nd and 23rd of November 2016, at the NASS Complex, Abuja. 
     
    This year’s summit with the theme ‘Understanding and Stimulating Legislative Roles and Responsibility in Achieving the Sustainable Goals in Nigeria,’ is a 2-day Summit organised in partnership with 1stDevHub Nigeria and other relevant international development and SDGs Advocate.  
     
    According to the Accountable Manager of Dana Air, Mr Obi Mbanuzuo, ‘’we are proud to have been announced as choice airline for this year’s summit and as always; we will give our best to provide a comfortable and hitch-free flight services to all the delegates.’’
     
    Commenting on the initiative,  Mrs Christina Ude, Consultant to the House Committee on the SDGs and Team Lead expressed delight at the partnership and that “the world today is more interconnected than ever before and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can only be realized with a strong commitment to national and global partnership” she said.  
     
    Speaking further , 1st DevHub Nigeria’s Senior Partner and Coordinator of the Summit, Kenneth Nwokoro mentioned that this year’s Summit is focused on improving Legislators understanding of the SDGs and how their roles impact on the attainment of the Goals in Nigeria. He stated  that Mr Thomas Gass, United Nations Assistant Secretary General for Economic and Social Affairs is confirmed as the keynote speaker, Professor Kevin Urama of the African Development Bank, Abidjan will chair the event while His Excellency, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is expected as the distinguished Guest of Honour.
     
    Dana Air is the only domestic airline to have undergone an operational audit conducted by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, (NCAA) and its foreign partners, The Flight Safety Group. The airline operates daily flights from Lagos to Abuja, Port Harcourt, Uyo and Owerri
  • Finance Minister seeks Islamic Bank’s support

    Finance Minister seeks Islamic Bank’s support

    The Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun has called on the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) to support Nigeria in rebuilding the North Eastern part of the country ravaged by Boko Haram.

    She made the appeal on Monday in Abuja during the inauguration of the IDB Country Gateway office.

    Adeosun said that Nigeria was striving towards attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and would welcome the IDB’s support to achieve them.

    “I call on the IDB Group to work with development partners in operationalising the recovery and peace building assessment and implementation of the recently constituted June 2016 Buhari plan for the revitalisation of the North-East.

    “This entails addressing aspects of interventions relating to peace building, stability and social cohesion.

    “Also, to support critical productive infrastructure and service delivery and provide capacity building and programme management support in national, state and local government institutions.’’

    Adeosun enjoined the Bank to scale up its concessional resources and increase its overall financing to Nigeria and other African member countries.

    She said that the new office would further enhance focus on implementation and decentralisation of activities for speedy completion of projects and better impact of development intervention.

    The IDB president, Dr Ahmad Ali, said that the bank would give Nigeria its utmost support in alignment with the nation’s development priorities.

    He said that the nation’s exemplary leadership and drive for national development, through good governance and zero tolerance for corruption, was an inspiration to the group and other development partners.

    “This determination would go a long way in fast tracking the implementation of development programmes in Nigeria.

    “The IDB group considers the education sector and particularly bilingual education among its priority areas in Nigeria and a key tool to counter extremism,“ he said.

    Ali said that the bank would also focus on health, agriculture, infrastructure, small and medium enterprises and regional integration.

    He added that the establishment of the country gateway office would enable the group to be more service-centric and closer to the Nigerian clients in both public and private sectors.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the IDB is a multilateral development financing institution established in 1975 in Saudi Arabia and Nigeria became its 56th member country in 2005.

  • Action health graduates 120 out of school girls

    Action health graduates 120 out of school girls

    Action Health Incorporated on Wednesday graduated about 120 out-of-school adolescent girls who are beneficiaries of its Project tagged; ‘Expanding Access of Marginalized Out-of-School Girls to Services in Ilaje Community’.

    The graduates, drawn from Ilaje Community out of the 42 slum areas of Lagos State, were empowered with intensive livelihood skills and sexual and reproductive health programme with the support of United Nations Population Funds.

    Delivering her welcome speech, Mrs Adenike Esiet, Executive Director, Action Health Incorporated, noted that the girls will be given start up kits worth N10,000 adding: “This is in addition to being registered with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and the opening  of a bank account to aid financial accountability in their businesses.
    “It is important to note that the lack of schooling has implications far beyond access to basic education: being out-of-school substantially increases the threats to these adolescent girls’ health, pressure to engage in risky sexual relations, pressure to marry early, as well as exposure to exploitative labour conditions,” she noted.

    In his remarks, Mr Koffi Kouame, UNFPA, Deputy Director observed that the programme could not have come at a more auspicious time for Nigeria as globally, countries are currently setting in place actions that will ensure the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

    “In this regards, it is important to note that the ability of the Out Of School Girls (OOSG) to fulfil her potential is a major contributor to the attainment of the SDGs and therefore is a corresponding critical development in Nigeria.

    Some of the 120 graduating girls in a group photograph after the celebration in Lagos
    Some of the 120 graduating girls in a group photograph after the celebration in Lagos

    “As a result, landmark occasion represents a call to action to all Nigerians (policy makers, legislators, other development partners and NGOs) to work in ensuring that the OOSG is empowered in terms of accessing formal or informal education as well as the acquisition of skills and knowledge about her sexual and reproductive health, which will enable her reach maximum potential and contribute to the development of Nigeria,” Kouame stressed.

    Speaking further, he noted that Lagos, with over 2million young girls aged 10 to 19, has the highest number of young girls in Nigeria. “Even though, Lagos state has been a pacesetter in the promotion of girls’ education and women empowerment, a significant  proportion of these girls are still out-of-school.

    “Therefore, if significant progress towards the empowerment of the OOSG is achieved in Lagos, the impact will be felt nationally and indeed on a global scale as well. It is well acknowledged that the OOSG is one of the most vulnerable individuals in our society as they are well accustomed to living in unsafe and unsanitary conditions, exposed to gender based violence, coerced sexual encounters or forced marriages, early pregnancy/child bearing and exploitative labour conditions,” Kouame noted.

    During their testimonies, elated Godonu Gloria narrated how she dropped out of school at primary 5 only to help her parents sell pap (koko) as a means to sustain the family. According to Gloria, she later went to stay with her grandma, who told her to join the other girls in selling fish as a tradition for all the children living with her.

    She went further to explain how she had always wanted to bake and how she got to know about the opportunity on a Sunday at church. She harped on it and is now an empowered graduate of the Action Health Incorporated Programme. According to her, she made N4000 during her first baking business.

    Similarly, Olawale Aminat, another beneficiary recounted her ordeal in the polygamous family being the last child of the third wife. Aminat dropped out of school at the Senior Secondary School (SSS) 3 because her mother could no longer meet up with the incessant demands of the science department she belonged to in school to carry out various projects.

    On her part, she learned makeup artistry and headgear (gele) tying and has succeeded in practising her new trade at a public event where she made N1500 on the first day. Aminat thanked the AHI and UNFPA, observing that both organisations have done well for many girls, including her.

    Present at the graduation ceremony include the Honourable Commissioner, Lagos State Ministry of Women of Affairs, Mrs Lola Akande, represented by Mrs Folasade S. Adesoye, Permanent Secretary, Lagos state Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation; Mr Coffin Kouame, Deputy Representative, UNFPA; Mr S.A Bamgbade, Ilaje Community Leader; Mrs Oluwasoromidayo George, Corporate Affairs Director, Unilever, to mention a few.

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  • Institute advocates food safety among Nigerians

    The Nigerian Institute of Food Science and Technology (NIFST) has called on Nigerians to be conscious of what they eat to minimise the rising health challenges in the country.

     

    The National President of the institute, Mr Chijioke Osuji, made the call in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Friday.

     

    Osuji said that developing food safety consciousness would help the country to attain its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), increase its food exports and ensure food security.

     

    He said it would also help to minimise the rising health challenges bedevilling citizens in the country and assist in boosting food safety.

     

    According to him, the result of these in years to come, will make our food safer for homes, ensure improved export and increased foreign exchange.

     

    “We want food professionals and post harvest specialists to have legal empowerment and backing to help actualise the safety,’’ Osuji said.

     

    The NIFST president stressed the need for the country to accord priority to the job of post harvest officers to encourage and sensitise farmers to meet international standard.

     

    Post harvest officials according to Osuji are agriculture specialists, who guide farmers on the crops to plant and the fertiliser or chemicals that will suit a particular crop.

     

    “If the job of a post harvest agriculture specialist is given priority, it can boost job creation.

     

    “Even if we ignore the safety of our people, we should be mindful of the safety of the food we export.

     

    “The international community is watching, they will not take it likely if we export food that is not safe for their citizens.

     

    “The safety aspect is where their eyes are all the time; the man that will make you achieve that safety perimeter must be a trained post harvest man and food specialist.

     

    “Post harvest man has a say in every part of the value chain for example, before farmers can plant, they must have the right seed, there must be right breeder,’’ he said.

     

    NAN reports that NIFST is the only registered non-profit making body representing food professionals drawn from the academia, industries, government and research Institutes in Nigeria.

     

    Its mission is to harness the abundance of talents, knowledge and skills among food professionals in Nigeria toward food sufficiency and good nutrition for the masses.

  • UNIC urges youths to share SDGs with everyone

    UNIC urges youths to share SDGs with everyone

    The National Information Officer of the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) Lagos, Mr Oluseyi Soremekun, has called for more commitments from youths to making the world better by sharing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with everyone.

    Soremekun said this while addressing 91 students of Political Science and International Relations from Covenant University, Ota Ogun State on Tuesday, who were on an educational visit to UNIC Lagos.

    According to him, the knowledge of the SDGs would help in refocusing youths’ activities and their contribution to national development.

    Speaking on ‘The United Nations and Global Development’, the National Information Officer earlier provided an overview of the UN, its purpose and highlights of its six Organs: General Assembly; Security Council; Secretariat, Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC); International Court of Justice (ICJ) and The Trusteeship Council.

    He traced the UN interventions for global development to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) framework and linked it to the SDGs, which he explained contained 17 goals and 169 targets.

    The presentations were intersperse with two video clips on the SDGs after which the students made up of 67 females and 24 males, were asked questions on the United Nations and the Sustainable Development Goals. Gifts of UN publications were given to all students who answered the questions correctly.

    The National Information Officer later presented to the department, some UN publicatiions which included the UN Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; two editions of African Renewal, MDG Report 2015 and Notepads. They were received by Dr Chidozie Felix Chidozie who in turn presented to UNIC Lagos, the University souvenir.