The Federal Government has said that the nation is benefitting from the developmentl policy thrust of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) especially in the intervention of the North-East and other areas in the country.
The Senior Special Assistance to President Muhammadu Buhari on SDGs, Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire said this in Abuja at the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) training on SDG 16 Shadow Report Development organised by the CISLAC and Transparency International (TI).
The SDG 16 goal seeks to promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.
“Nigeria’s Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) Reports (of the SDGs) highlighted the development context and challenges, drawing global attention to the duo of economic downtown and humanitarian crisis in the North East as drawbacks that could impede SDGs implementation. Of concern were data contained in the report that showed deepening inequality evidenced by a Gini Coefficient of 43 percent.
“The exigencies of our time require that we urgently deepen collaboration between those who drive the development process both vertically and horizontally. Such synergies are pivotal as parliaments, civil societies, international development partners and other stakeholders work together to ensure that government and the society at large mainstream, integrate and domesticate the SDGs,” Orelope-Adefulire said.
The Executive Director of CISLAC Auwal Musa Rafsanjani said the importance of the Shadow report and SDG 16 goals is such that the centre hosted five TI chapters including representatives from Kenya, Chile and Uganda.
“The SDGs work in spirit of partnership and pragmatism to enable nations make the right choices to improve life in a sustainable way for future generations,” he said.
Also, the Executive Director of the TI Chile chapter Alberto Rorris, said though Nigeria is working and making progress on its anti-corruption efforts, more still needed to be done especially those concerning capital flight and money laundering.
Among the multi-faceted recommendations of the ‘Shadow Report’ was that subsequent reviews of the SDG be more result focused, instead of descriptive recount of the organizational and administrative processes.
