Ahead of the composition of the Federal Executive Council to drive the agenda of the present administration, a coalition of civil society groups in Nigeria under the umbrella of New Nigeria United Forum, has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to reorganise the office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in order to achieve set objectives.
National coordinator of the Coalition, William Odewale, in a statement made available to newsmen on Friday in Abuja, said the SDGs and those on the drivers’ seat in the agency were key to the realization of the manifestoes that the Tinubu administration has set for itself.
Giving an appraisal of the SDGs in the last eight years, Odewale declared that the head of the agency, Mrs Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire could not achieve much as a result of institutional bottlenecks.
He also urged President Tinubu to use the office to achieve some of his administration’s critical objectives within the next four years.
He said: “With the exit of President Muhammadu Buhari, Orelope-Adefulire’s tenure also expired. Though a sigh of relief for many stakeholders in the development sector, it appears she’s fighting hard to find her way back.
“Orelope-Adefulire, no doubt, may have done her best. From available records, her records are a far cry from acceptable norms. Her eight years in office, unfortunately, had no direct impact on vulnerable Nigerians who ought to have benefited from her tenure.”
The Coalition, which noted that the composition of those whose duties were tied to the agency did not truly reflect the Federal Character Principle, as enshrined in the nation Constitution, tasked President Tinubu to avert his mind to how to redress the glaring imbalances.
“As President Bola Ahmed Tinubu settles down, he needs to be reminded that Nigeria is beyond the South West. As a truly pan-Nigerian leader, Tinubu, we’re certain, will not repeat the mistakes of President Buhari.
“In the House of Representatives, the Committee chairman on SDGs is Wale Raji. He hails from Lagos State. Similarly in the Senate, the Committee chairman on SDGs is Idiat Oluranti. Like Raji, she hails from the South West too.
“Orelope-Adefulire who served for eight years as Senior Special Assistant to the President on SDGs, is a former deputy governor of Lagos State. For an administration that wants to be fair to every component unit of Nigeria, a new scribe from another part of Nigeria needs to be considered for the position of the Senior Special Assistant or Adviser to the President on Sustainable Development Goals.
“Nigeria also needs someone who understands what SDGs entails and how to implement them dutifully. Constructing small classrooms, unoccupied primary healthcare facilities, and other misplaced priorities, should be discontinued. Unfortunately, those are the only insignificant projects Orelope-Adefulire executed.
“As head of the SDGs office, Orelope-Adefulire localised the implementation of the goals and restricted her interventions to mainly Lagos State. The poor and vulnerable people in rural communities were completely ignored by Orelope-Adefulire when she held sway.
“On three fronts, there are reasons why the SDGs Office needs a breath of fresh air. Orelope-Adefulire has done her eight years. Pushing for any extra time in office or any reappointment should be discouraged by any legitimate means possible.
“Again, Lagos State has gotten its fair share of offices and positions since Tinubu was appointed. Appointing another Lagos State person to hold that office will be unfair and insensitive.
“With Lagos State producing chairmen of the Senate and the House of Representatives on SDGs, another geo-political zone should be allowed to produce the next presidential aide on SDGs.
“The new person needs to target the vulnerable, the poor and ensure that the goals are fully achieved. Allowing politically-exposed people occupy such a position will only do more harm than good.
“As a patriotic leader, Tinubu will not disappoint Nigerians. On this issue, we’re assured that the right person will be appointed to head that important position of the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals.”
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