Paul Osuyi, Asaba
Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, yesterday decried the inability of Nigeria to meet targets of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The state government said there had been inconsistencies in governments’ commitment to the programme.
Speaking when the Presidential Management Team of SDGs, led by its Coordinator, Albashir Ibrahim, visited him in Asaba, the governor challenged authorities charged with the discharge of the programme to show more commitment, noting that the targets were achievable with dedication and consistency in drive.
“We need to begin to work a lot more than we are doing at the moment if we are going to actually walk the talk, because many times we start goals that we do not finish.
“For instance, we started with Millennium Development Goals and now, we have moved to SDGs, we will set targets for ourselves as a nation then we are not able to meet up and in the end, we do not seem to have a clear analysis of how we meet out targets and that, in itself, is a challenge.
“As a nation, I believe all hope is not lost even if we are still behind. We can still remain consistently constructive and committed to whatever we do so that we are able to actually change the narrative.
“It is not going to take one year or one tenure to achieve change, but the important thing all of us can continue to do is to develop that love and passion for our country so that everybody that comes will continue to build on the good things the previous person may have laid a foundation for.
“Yes, some mistakes have been made along the line but we need to continually build and remain focused on the goals and I think that is very important for us.”
Earlier, Ibrahim had rated Delta State government high in achieving results with the development goals, noting that the achievements could be traced to the track records of the governor in achieving desired results in whatever his activities are.
He said the governor had deservedly earned an award from the national office of SDGs for his developmental efforts, and announced the award would be given to the governor in a ceremony to be organised soon.
