Sokoto state government and the United Nations (UN) Wednesday signed an Annual Work Plan (AWP) for the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) activities in Sokoto put at a total value of $13,046,204 (N4.9 billion).
Out of this, the UN system is expected to cough out $6,100,106 (N2.3 billion) while Sokoto state government, being one of the five states selected for such partnership, will contribute $6,946,098 (N2.6 billion).
By this arrangement, Sokoto state, will from 2018-2022, be part of the UN implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) tools to unite, harness ‘comparative advantages,’ and “help states to accelerate” the execution of “agenda 2030 and the SDGs.”
At the signing of the AWP agreement in Sokoto, Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal said that his administration “will continue to push on the SDGs in the state.
“We are going to commit ourselves to the work plan. Sokoto state government will make provision in the budget and make sure we back up the $6.1 million that you are going to give us,” the governor emphasized.
Pledging to look into the myriads of issues raised by the UN and incorporate them into the state’s developmental agenda, Governor Tambuwal enumerated the achievements made in the areas of healthcare, social protection, infrastructure development and sanitation despite the dearth of revenue.
He stated that the state government is committed to the delivery of good governance, developmental issues, deterring of violence against persons and domestication of the Child Rights Act.
On insecurity, the governor noted that although the trio of “COVID-19, flood disaster and unemployed youths are catastrophe in waiting,” the state government and all stakeholders “have to ensure all that doesn’t happen, especially where you make reference to the fact that from Libya, Niger Republic to Mali up to Sokoto, are a confluence.”
“So, we must be seen to be responding to all these and making sure that what is happening, and is snowballing into some kind of trouble, doesn’t happen here,” Tambuwal offered.
In his remarks, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mr Edward Kallon, said his organization and the state government “must work together to find innovative solutions to turn this human tragedy (COVID-19) into a generational opportunity to build back better a more equal and sustainable world.”
Such he said is possible through a “collaboration between the UN and your government under the Spotlight Initiative, which regular programming is yielding results in the areas of the establishment of of a coordination entity to address gender violence, child protection and social policy development.
Stating that the UN recognizes the “great efforts of the Zakat and Endowment Commission,” Mr Kallon said the organization also appeals to the state to pay more attention to social protection of children, development of girl-child education, pursuit of the transformation of the Almajiri system and investment in maternal and new born healthcare.
He added that the UN would want the government to step up its declaration of a state of emergency on gender based violence by establishing services of a forensic DNA laboratory, averting of maternal mortality and morbidity as well as the development of a state Water, Sanitation Hygiene (WASH) center.
