Kemi Busari
Adebowale Adeniyi is the Executive Director, Centre for Global Solutions and Sustainable Development(CENGSSUD). Having worked with many organisations, the diplomat cum activist ventured into international development. In this interview with Kemi Busari, he revealed the objectives of establishing the NGO and as well analysed issues relating to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations.
Excerpts.
CENGSSUD, what does the organisation stand for?
The centre is a non-governmental and a non-profit making organisation that was set up with the primary objective of promoting sustainable development and contributing to the advancement of practical and workable solutions to world’s numerous problems. We do this through various ways such as researches, advocacy, policy development and analysis, capacity development and partnerships.
What have been your activities and achievements so far?
We have been able to put down the structural framework of the organisation. We are building a formidable team which will pilot the organisation and as well the instrumentals and activities. On achievement, we recently conducted a sensitisation rally last week on SDG. The aim of this is to let the public know about it and take the SDG to the government. We trekked from Allen Roundabout, Ikeja to the Alausa, distributing fliers and explaining the goals to people. It was a success and we hope to hold many more of it in the nearest future.
What do we mean by Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)?
These are the new set of global goals the entire world aims to achieve between 2016 and 2030. They are the goals that will determine how the entire world will be run in the next 10 to 15 years. It is an advancement of the existing Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The goals include; zero hunger, quality education, climate action, reduced inequalities and many others.
What is your assessment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and why the transition?
The MDG was reviewed because of its lapses and new challenges in the global system. Its lapses include its failure to address the root cause of poverty, gender inequality, human right abuses, economic and infrastructural development and some other areas. The SDG is an improvement on what we have before to cater for the loopholes and incorporate the new goals to suit the new system.
From 8 goals in MDG to 17 in SDG, could this be as a result of proliferation of world problems and can these goals really be achieved?
Like I said before, there are many issues coming up on a daily basis which prompted the review of the MDG goals. We have issues like terrorism with the likes of ISIS and Boko Haram, insecurity, climate change, health hazards like Ebola. All these are worrisome and calls for new approaches. The entire world leaders have to come together to determine how to surmount the challenges. The eight goals of MDG could not address some of these fundamental issues but the 17 of SDG has been able to incorporate all facets of life. It addresses issues of life on land, life below the water, animals, and even inanimate objects. It made provision for people, environment, living things, non living things and all in existence. The goals are fantastic and that is why our organisation has deemed it fit to project them.
What is your assessment of the Nigerian Government towards achieving the MDG?
The government was fully involved in it and the involvement was poor. If China,India, and others could move away from the state of poverty, I see no reason why Nigeria can’t. The implementation of MDG is replete with corruption. All the funds accruable from the international community given to the federal government were squandered through corruption. We’ve seen a situation whereby only one borehole was built from millions of Naira. The wealth that was supposed to be used in addressing poverty and other challenges in Nigeria were misused by a minority few. Generally, the government failed to perform into expectation at the implementation stage.
What is the role of the government at different levels in ensuring the achievement of these aims?
This time around, the government must first address the issue of corruption and administrative bottlenecks so that when the fund comes in this time around, they will be dedicated to what it is meant for and not squandered.
Secondly, government needs to buy interest into the global goals and be at the fore front of its implementation, without this, it is not going to work in this country. Also, they need to set up a systemic framework for the aims to work. We should incorporate it to the federal, state and local development plans.
We are ready to put our monitoring mechanisms into force and follow up their activities. If they don’t have these policies and target yet, they can contact us, we are ready to work with them to design policies that will address some of these issues.
As individuals, what is expected of us in this movement?
The first role of an individual is to be aware that SDG exists. I must reiterate at this point that SDGs are rights of individuals; to know why it is, ask yourself, is it not your right to enjoy a poverty-free world? Is it your right to have access to health? Is it not your right have access to quality education? Is it not my right if I’m a woman to have the same access to what men are having? Is it not my right to have clean water, affordable and renewable energy and gainful employment? If your answer to these is yes, then you should hold the government accountable for them and help them in achieving it.
There are about 2.2 billion children in the world and about 1 billion are in a state of poverty. i.e one out of two is poverty ridden. One out of 3 girls is been sexually harassed and domestically violated. More than 800,000,000 lack access to clean water.
Many have criticised the goals as being city-centric especially the 11th goal which made mention of city, what is your take on this?
At this level, we should not misconstrue that particular goal. The 11th goal is about sustainable cities and communities and this entails that everybody should see themselves living in the city by 2030. It’s not talking about concentrating on cities and leaving the rural areas, its saying that the basic amenities of cities should disperse to all and sundry.
With the SDG taking effect from January 2016, what should we expect from CENGSSUD?
The NGO is geared towards a pro active engagement of the necessary stakeholders in terms of implementation and support in ensuring that the goals are been achieved. We should expect more of policy development, analysis and implementation and series of awareness campaign.
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