From Toluwa Agboluaje, Ibadan
Gov Makinde
Oyo State Government has entered into partnership with the Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER) and Centre for Sustainable Development, University of Ibadan to institutionalize the four-point agenda on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Senior Special Assistant to the governor on SDGs, Kunle Yusuf, and Special Adviser on Economic Matters, Dr. Musbau Babatunde, disclosed this during a stakeholders’ meeting held at Head of Service conference room, Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan on Thursday.
Some of the stakeholders in attendance included the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Funmi Orisadeyi; Executive Assistant (Administration) and Oyo State focal person for the Human Capital Development Goals, Revd. Idowu Ogedengbe; Executive Assistant on Disabilities, Ayodele Adekanmbi; the Director of the Centre for Sustainable Development, UI; Prof Olanrewaju Olaniyi; Dr Adebayo Ajala from NISER; representative of the State Bureau of Statistics and Directors of Budget and Planning in all 33 local governments of the state.
Yusuf, noted that the meeting was convened with the approval of Governor Makinde to commemorate International Day for Eradication of Poverty, saying the stakeholders came together to brainstorm and formulate a framework to structure the Integrated Sustainable Development Goals (ISDG).
“We have seen the way the government is going and we have realised that there is a need for everybody to be on the board. So, the ministries and local governments can integrate their plans on SDGs.
The SA on Economic Matters, Babatunde, also told journalists on the sidelines of the meeting that: “There is a particular paradigm that we call Partnership For Effective Development. We need to partner with both local and foreign institutions for us to be able to take the SDGs to greater heights.”
He said the government was partnering NISER and the UI Institute because of the role research and statistics will have a great role to play in the achievement of the SDGs.
