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The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, has urged stakeholders to intensify efforts toward the achievement of the SDGs by 2030.
She stated this in her keynote address delivered on her behalf by Dr Bala Yunusa, Senior Technical Adviser, at the North-East Regional Consultation in Gombe.
The event was part of Nigeria’s Voluntary National Review (VNR) preparation for the High-Level Political Forum in New York in July 2025.
Orelope-Adefulire noted that world leaders established the Forum on Sustainable Development through the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) as a follow up and review mechanism for the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development.
The VNRs serve as the cornerstone of this review process.
Nigeria is currently undertaking its third VNR, engaging stakeholders across the six geopolitical zones to assess implementation progress, challenges and prospects.
Orelope-Adefulire stressed the need to fast-track progress on all the SDGs, noting that global progress on the goals was mixed, with Nigeria not exempted.
Citing the 2024 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Report, she stated: “Lack of progress toward the SDGs is universal but developing countries and the world’s poorest people bear the brunt.
“Currently, only 17 per cent of SDG targets are on track, nearly half show minimal or moderate progress, while over a third have stalled or regressed.”
At the national level, she said dwindling financial resources, the COVID-19 pandemic, and persistent insecurity had combined to slow-down Nigeria’s progress toward achieving the SDGs.
Orelope-Adefulire emphasised that the SDGs could not be achieved through isolated programmes but must be carefully integrated into national and sub-national policies and development plans.
She said robust Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting (MER), such as the SDGs Progress reporting and the VNR, were essential.
Orelope-Adefulire underscored the need for collaboration across the public and private sectors, the UN Development System, the donor community, academia, and civil society to ensure that no one was left behind.
She said world leaders had reaffirmed their commitment to take “bold, ambitious, accelerated, just, and transformative actions to fast-track the achievement of the SDGs.”
This, she said, was through the “Pact for the Future,” adopted during the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in September 2024.
She referenced Mr António Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, who said massive investment and more effective partnerships were needed to drive critical transitions across food, energy and digital connectivity to unlock progress across the goals.
Orelope-Adefulire commended institutional members of the Multi-Stakeholder Core Working Group for Nigeria’s 2025 VNR for their dedication in organising and guiding the entire VNR process.
“I appreciate and commend members of the Core Working Group from relevant MDAs, the UN Development System, the Private Sector Advisory Group, the Civil Society Strategy Group and academia.
“Your commitment is highly valued. The consulting team for this VNR is equally appreciated,” she said.
In his presentation on the Overview of SDGs Implementation in Nigeria and 2025 VNR Process, Yunusa referenced the UN DESA Report of 2024.
He highlighted the impact of COVID-19 pandemic, escalating conflicts, geopolitical tensions and climate chaos on SDG progress.
According to the report, if current trends persist, no fewer than 590 million people may still live in extreme poverty by 2030.
It said without substantial acceleration in poverty reduction, fewer than three in 10 countries would halve national poverty.
It added that nearly one in 10 people globally would face hunger, and 2.4 billion people would experience moderate to severe food insecurity.
As part of Nigeria’s VNR consultative process, no fewer than 150 participants drawn from the six states of the North East were updated on the institutional frameworks for the implementation of the SDGs.
They focused on progress on the 17 SDGs, implementation, challenges and lessons learnt.
At the end of the Regional Consultation, participants reflected on these and offered context specific recommendations.
They also suggested implementation strategies to fast-track the achievement of the SDGs by 2030.
Key stakeholders, including representatives of the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), private sector, civil society, academia, persons with disabilities and youths were in attendance.
In his address of welcome, Sulaiman Turaki, the Focal Person of the SDGs Project Support Unit in Gombe State, described the Regional Consultation as a critical dialogue that would shape Nigeria’s next VNR.
He said it would ensure that the country’s progress, challenges, and opportunities were accurately reflected and that no one was left behind in the overall development journey.
“This gathering is a testament to our collective commitment to advancing sustainable, inclusive, science- and evidence-based solutions for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Goal,” said Turaki.
He called on stakeholders to engage actively, share insights, and propose solutions that will make a real impact.
“Let us embrace this opportunity to drive meaningful change, inspire innovative policies, and accelerate sustainable development efforts across the North-East Zone,” Turaki stated.
By Salif Atojoko
