The United Nations says there is a need for accelerated efforts towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Nigeria.
Mr Matthias Schmale, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria made these remarks at the National Conference on Agenda 2030 and the SDGs.
The Lagos State University Centre for the Actualisation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (LASU-SDG) in collaboration with the United Nations Information Centre(UNIC), Abuja organised the conference on Monday in Lagos.
TheNewsZenith reports that the theme of the conference is “At the Midpoint of Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals: Which away Nigeria and Africa?”.
Schmale says it is imperative that the 2030 agenda deadline of SDGs is achieved with no one left behind.
According to him, in Nigeria, 133 million people face multidimensional poverty and more than 20 million are unemployed without urgent action.
“The 2030 agenda will become no more than a broken promise to the world’s most vulnerable people despite these many challenges.
“Africa remains a continent of hope and Nigeria a country of hope because the long-term structural endowments of Africa are strong.
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“Africa also is the best investment proposition of the 21st century,” TheNewsZenith quotes the Coordinator as saying.
He said universities could be catalytic in three important ways because they have the largest youth population in Africa.
Schmale noted that academia would have the opportunity to shape the design of solutions and policies that could have genuine social impacts.
“The outcomes of this conference will support collective rescue efforts and lay the groundwork for Nigeria’s preparation for next month’s Global SDGs Summit in New York.
“The UN and Nigeria hope that it will be possible for the Nigerian government to announce further initiatives in New York aimed at creating a social impact friendly environment,” Schmale said.
Also speaking, Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, Vice-Chancellor of LASU, urged the university community to leverage the opportunity offered by the conference.
Olatunji-Bello said it would be a catalyst for transformative change to achieve the SDGs.
Similarly, Prof. Tayo Ajayi, Director of LASU-SDG Centre, said the 2030 agenda for sustainable development envisions a present and future that is economically sustainable, socially inclusive and environmentally resilient.
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Ajayi said the SDGs are a universal call to action to end poverty, safeguard the planet and ensure that people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030.
“The SDGs agenda covers interconnected social, economic and environmental challenges.
“And the unique functions and expertise of universities are critical for overcoming all of these.
“Arguably, none of the SDGs can be achieved without the universities because they occupy a unique position within the society.
“As such, universities have a critical role in the achievement of the SDGs,” Ajayi said.
According to him, LASU had keyed into this vision as a teaching and research centre.
The institution, he noted, has responsibilities of contributing to the growth and development of students, workers, stakeholders, governments and making global impacts.
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