An effort to kick-start the implementation of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on a stronger note as approved by United Nations General Assembly (UNGASS) in September has brought together active young Nigerians working in development sector in a post UNGASS brief meeting. The aim of the meeting was to deliberate on multi stakeholder partnership among themselves.
The meeting which held today 6 November 2015, at United Nations Development Program Head office in Abuja was spearheaded by Civil Society Action Coalition on Education For All (CSACEFA) and Save The Children. CSACEFA as one organisation pushing for qualitative education for all Nigerians had worked assiduously on the realisation of the past Millennium Development Goals in Nigeria, has been on the vanguard promoting recently launched SDGs among the young people in Nigeria.
According to Ojonwa Miachi, UNMC Campaigner, The role of the youth in the realisation of these SDGs cannot be overemphasised as all these goals are all essential to humanity and none should be exempted.
Policy Advisor, CSACEFA, Chioma Osuji who made captivating presentation on how young Nigerians could help in creating more awareness on SDGs among themselves said peer to peer sensitisation would go a long way in fasttracking the implementation of SDGs.
Dorothy Njemanze, Human Right Activist who spoke on how Nigerian youth working in development sector could work together for better results in the implementation of SDGs, and see themselves more as partners working toward achieving common goals rather than perceiving themselves as competitors which could be detrimental to the realisation of SDGs in Nigeria “Goal 17 (Partnership for the Goals) is actually one important part of SDGs, it is however imperative to leverage on this, towards the implementation of SGDs, we all need one another, someone you need to support your project could be sitting right next to you now, we ought to see ourselves as partners to avoid struggle in our various fields, she explained.
Farida Yayah, one of the panelists at the meeting said young people need to move away from been unserious with whatever developmental project they get involve in. “Young people tends to make a lot of noise without any action” she alluded. She further charge the youth representatives to stay focus and bear in mind that succesful implementation of SDGs lies in their hands.
Other prominent Nigerian youth present at the brief meeting are Dotun Roy, Sam Itodo, Stepanie Apel, Charles Afolayan, Opeyemi Agbaje, Rotimi Olawale of Youth Hub Africa, Henry of ONE in Africa, Lucky Musonda among others.
