Between Monday 27 and Tuesday 28, January 2020, there was a Civil Society Retreat organized by the OSSAP-SDGs at Reiz Continental Hotel Abuja. Apart from paper presentations, there was an election that ushered in the new leadership of Civil Society Strategy Group on SDGs in Nigeria.
It should be recalled that the first Civil Society Strategy Group on SDGs was organized under the auspices of OSIWA in November 2015 supported by Action Campaign but there has been some lull in the activities of that pioneer body till civil society clamoured for a resuscitation of that group or out rightly having a new one. Thus OSSAP spearheaded this current one and did the inauguration on Tuesday 28 of January 2020. We do hope for its sustainability.
Meanwhile, Civil Society Coalition on Sustainable Development (www.cscsdev.org) the foremost and largest coalition working on SDGs in Nigeria participated actively in this programme including the election. I am happy to inform us that out of the 9-person committee to lead the SDGs process in this Decade of Action in collaboration with the government, four are members of the CSCSD. They include:
- Dr Uzodinma Adirieje – Southeast Coordinator of CSCSD
- Dr Margaret Mina Ogbanga – Southsouth Coordinator
- Mr David Obinna Anyaele – member, Board of Trustee
- Dr David Tola Winjobi – the National Coordinator
Incidentally, Dr Uzodinma Adirieje is the Chair of the body while Mrs Mina Ogbanga is the 2nd Deputy Chair while others are members. On behalf of the BoT, NSC and entire members of CSCSD, I congratulate all the four members and wish them a successful tenure of office. We believe they are going to use their wealth of experience in playing their advisory role to the Nigerian government and supporting the Global Decade of Action in accelerating the attainment of SDGs before 2030.
It should also go without saying that CSCSD has been appointed among the Core Working Group that would facilitate the Nigerian report on Voluntary National Review/HLPF. This position, I believe, does not preclude CSCSD from coming up with its own shadow report if deemed necessary, before July HLPF in New York.
Congrats to all members of CSCSD!!!