UNDP, FG select Enugu as SDGs accelerator/innovation hub for S-East states
Speaking during the opening ceremony of a two-day United
Nations, UN, joint workshop on Institutionalizing Social Protection for
Accelerated SDGs Implementation in Nigeria, in Enugu, the state Commissioner
for Special Duties and the Focal Person on SDGs, Mrs Mabel Agbo, who
represented Governor Ugwuanyi at the event, assured the UNDP and the Federal
Government that Governor Ugwuanyi’s administration will not take the selection
for granted.
Mrs Agbo stressed that the state government will cooperate
with the UNDP and the federal agency and work assiduously to ensure that the
aim of selecting Enugu State to serve as the zonal accelerator/innovation hub
is achieved.
“Fortunately, we have a governor in Enugu State who has a
heart for the poor and vulnerable”, the Commissioner said, adding that “the
moment this workshop is able to address the issue of capacity, the modalities
for implementation will be smoothly addressed by our highly compliant and ever
willing governor (Ugwuanyi).
“As you, therefore, deliberate on your well chosen topic,
‘Institutionalizing Social Protection for Accelerated SDGs Implementation in
Nigeria’, be rest assured of the commitment of the state government to the
implementation of the resolutions and takeaways reached to further strengthen
the SDGs implementation in the state,” she said.
Mrs Agbo also commended the state’s private sector partners
namely Phinotec Company Nigeria Limited, White Concept Construction Nigeria
Limited and Fordmarx Nigeria Limited for their consistency in terms of
financial support.
Also speaking, the Senior Special Assistant to the President
on SDGs (OSSAP-SDGs), Mrs. Orelope Adefulire, represented by the Office’s
Senior Technical Adviser, Yusuf Yunusa Bala, explained that the cardinal aim of
the SDGs, embedded in the federal and state governments’ objectives, is to
uplift the standard of living of the people through budgetary allocations to
health, education, potable water supply, innovations and skills acquisition,
among others.
Bala pointed out that the noble objectives are being driven
by bureaucracies of government, revealing that the choice of Enugu was because
of its central location, peaceful atmosphere and the state government’s
commitment to the laudable vision of SDGs.
He reiterated President Muhammadu Buhari’s determination to
lift Nigerians out of poverty, stating that the prevailing challenges in the
country will hopefully come to an end in no distant time.
The UNICEF Country Coordinator, Dr Faizat Busari and his UNDP counterpart, Dr Amaranth Bundara were at the event.
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