The United Nations (UN) has pledged to support Enugu State Government to actualise Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 for the well-being of Enugu people.
The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Fall, made the pledge when he paid a working visit to Gov. Peter Mbah at his office in Enugu on Friday, July 12, 2024.
While decorating Mbah, as a Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) champion, Fall described his leadership as the model that Nigeria, the UN, and Africa need.
He said Africa was tired of depressing stories, hence the need to celebrate and support leadership models anywhere on the continent that show the vision, drive, discipline, rigorous planning, and improved efficiency to change the narratives and inspire hope.
The UN Chief, who met with the state’s Executive Council and had an interactive session with the media, acknowledged the difficulty faced by the international communities in meeting up with their commitments to the people.
He regretted that, with only six years left to attain the SDGs by 2030, many nations, including Nigeria, still struggle with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
He commended in particular Gov Mbah’s strides in education, healthcare, water and other critical sectors, noting the governor’s ability to block leakages and waste to improve efficiency in a very short time.
“We are fed up with having states and nations that keep having problems in conflicts and fighting. That is why every success recorded in Enugu will come to change the narrative about Nigeria and Africa.
“I think in these difficulties and a very gloomy backdrop, there are still leaders, who go out of their ways and try to bring wellbeing for their people.
“That is why Mbah’s leadership galvanised me. I have found exactly what we need in the African Continent and in the United Nations,” he said.
He further expressed happiness that several of the present set of state governors give cause for hope and should be supported.
“We have governors that are younger, extremely committed, have their hands on the deck and have such a good appetite for improving the wellbeing of their people and I think Enugu is one of those examples,” he added.
By Alex Enebeli
