Former governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, said
Nigeria must take the issue of leadership seriously if it hopes to achieve the
United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals’ initiatives by the year 2030...
Obi spoke, yesterday, in Ibadan at the 8th Annual
Sustainable Development Summit organised by Centre for Sustainable Development
of the University of Ibadan in collaboration with African Sustainable
Development Network. Speaking on the theme, “The Leadership and Governance
Imperatives of Achieving the SDGs in Times of Economic Shocks and Uncertainties,”
Obi, who started by reviewing the Millennium Development Goals, MDGs, that gave
birth to the SDGs, said it was unfortunate that no African country achieved the
MDGs due to what he called “leadership failure,” and the penchant of African leaders
to pursue selfish and sectional rather than national interests. The China
example Using data and statistics, Obi, who compared China and Africa within a
given period, lamented that China had overtaken the entire countries of Africa
put together in all indices of development due to their commitment to their
country and people. Reviewing the secret of China’s MDGs success, Obi said:
“Over 15 years (200-2015), in partnership with the United Nations’ system
office in China, China was fully committed to the MDGs integrating the goals
into their development shortages from national to local government. “China
ensured effective and coordinated planning and managing their economic growth.
China’s successful integration of MDGs into its national development plan helped
China achieve an unprecedented transformative result.” He observed that at the
end of the MDGs, China was able to lift 439 million people out of poverty,
achieved 100% literacy level , 98% enrollment among primary school age and
tremendous improvement in health care delivery. On the contrary, he said within
the same period in Africa, “Reports show clearly that the African continent was
off-track. Sub Saharan Africa, for example, became the only region in the world
where poverty rose from 290 million in 1990 to 414 million in 2010; where
undernourished children rose from 27 million in 1990 to 32 million in 2012;
where children affected by stunting growth rose from 44 million in 1990 to 58
million in 2012.” Obi noted that China had started working towards achieving
the SDGs by the year 2030 by doing exactly what it did with the MDGs and called
on Nigeria to do the same by mainstreaming the SDG into Nigeria development
plans. In his words: “From the Chinese position on the SDGs, you can clearly
see the leadership imperatives in achieving the SDGs. It is first about the
leadership vision and commitment to the agenda. “Secondly, it is about
integrating the agenda in your planning and developmental strategies across all
levels of government from national to the local governments. “Thirdly, it
involves mobilizing all resources towards achieving the goals, ensuring that
the goals are well publicized in order for the citizens to take ownership and
ensure participation.” Recalling how his Government tried to pursue the MDG
goals, Obi said his budgeting, planning and delivery where modeled after the
MDGs. The programme was attended by prominent Nigerians from all walks of life,
including the Adviser to the President on SDGs, Mrs Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire,
Prof. Olanrewaju Olsniyan, Prof. Idowu Okayinka, Prof. James Tooley.
No comments: