From Olanrewaju Lawal, Birnin Kebbi
Kebbi State government has noted that the prompt payment of counterpart funding on the Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs) as well as supportive agriculture policies in the state have accelerated employment opportunities and development in the state.
Senior Special Adviser to kebbi State Governor on SDGs, Alhaji Umar Hassan Turakin Augie stated this while addressing students of Raudatus Sunnah Academic, Jega and their teachers during their excursion to state capital in his office.
Augie explained that kebbi state Governor, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, has shown keen interest in the SDGs and anchor borrowers programmes in the state which have started yielding a lot of results.
According to him, “permit me to sincerely thank the State Governor, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu for his interest and guidance to the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals in the state through his pro programmes in the state ranging from his prompt and timely payments of SDGs counterpart matching grant and his agriculture revolution in the rice production to generate employment to the teaming youth to enhance income generation, ensure food security for the state and the nation at large.
“These are done through public partnership between the Central Bank of Nigeria and Kebbi state through the Anchor Borrowers programme, as well as private-public partnership arrangement which has led to the springing up of small and medium rice mill companies in the state”.
He stated that,apart from the rice mill companies, the government’s foresight for the establishment of pilot cassava farms at Gwandu, Maiyama,and Danko wasagu local government areas through partnership with NNPC for the commencement of ethanol production, would enhance Internal Revenue Generation(IGR) of the state.
“ I would urged you to serve as a role model to form SDGs clubs in your school in order to see to the attainment of the agenda 2030 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
“As young generation, the challenge before you is to start asking yourselves questions as to how can lean resources be allowed to achieve good life for all in the year 2030? There is therefore, the need for the present generation to plan ,take action, budget to stabilize and reduce carbon emission, satisfy basic needs ,achieve equity and social justice, provide social self determination and culture diversity and maintain ecological integrity as these are key to SDGs and the well-being of mankind and ecosystem”.
