SDGs Champion; Honor To Whom Honor Is Due for Princess Adefulire, By ABUBAKAR YUSUF.

In the last seven years , beginning from 2016, the pioneer leadership of SDGs in Nigeria and Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals SSA-SDGs, Princess Adejoke Orelope Adefulire had made remarkable impact towards it’s domestication and decade of action 2020-2030.

Having achieved greatly in various areas of our national development through the domestication of SDGs programs in collaboration with CSO’s, the private sector advisory group PSAG, sub national among other interventions in respect of the 16 goals of SDGs, the UN program had metamorphosed seamlessly towards the decade of action, an agenda the leadership in the country had followed passionately under Princess Adejoke Orelope- Adefulire, on the driver seat.

Tirelessly, the vibrant Princess had instituted all walk and no play through the initiatives of various activities of SDGs from interventions, to launching of various programs nationally and internationally, with the last Integrated National Financing Framework INFF launched in New York during the last UN general assembly meeting in September, 2022 by the former Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari.

The launching of SDGs 3 and 4 evaluation reports with strategic concentration on Education and Health to reinvigorate and rejig the two critical social services been piloted by the UN SDGs among many others.

The UN SDGs seven years down the line under the leadership of Princess Adejoke Orelope Adefulire had carried out a wholistic reforms and initiatives through collaboration with the National Board of Statistic NBS and launched the maiden alignment of the National Statistical System NSS to drive the program to fruition in Nigeria.

The two major launch of INFF and NSS was a departure meant to galvanizing more efforts geared towards domesticating and creating an enabling environment as well as funding of SDGs programs in the country.

The laudable programs which included synergy with sub nationals and FCT with the launch of various interventions in water and sanitation, empowerment and entrepreneurship development among many others had been the cynosure of the success story of the program.

With rapt attention and determination, SDGs in accordance with it’s zeal to achieve the decade of action carried out a wholistic interventions through building of both Primary, Secondary and Tertiary health institution and supports to existing tertiary healtg institutions across the country , with each geopolitical zones benefitted, while some collaborations with the state government ensured the completion of many 100 bedded hospitals across the country.

Towards the twilight of the last administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, the SDGs Senior Special Assistant had embarked on uninterrupted commissioning of projects across the country, particularly in the health sector, that had direct bearing on the lives of ordinary Nigerians.

This had earned him many public service award and national and international honor thrice in a year, with commendation for a job well done.

In October, 2022 , Princess Adejoke Orelope Adefulire was among notable Nigerians that was conferred with the national honor by the federal government as Officer of the Order of Federal Republic (OFR), in September for her glaring commitment to the success of SDGs programs.

Twice in a week, the SSA-SDGs was also honored by the federal government as recipient of National Productivity order of Merit (NPOM) for 2022 during the award of 20th edition.

Within the week, Mrs Adefulire was also decorated as the ‘SDGs Champion’ having performed exceptionally well in the current dispensation and the match towards the 2020-203O decade of action, this time by the UN Nation’s Resident Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mathias Schamale during an award session held in Abuja.

During the presentation, Nigeria’s first lady ,Mrs Oluremi Tinubu lauded the contributions of Princess Adejoke Orelope Adefulire to the solidification of SDGs programs and it’s domestication in Nigeria.

Mrs Tinubu stated that the SDGs Senior Special Assistant had brought alot of value addition to the context of the program in the country.

The commendation was among many others both in the public, private sector and both local and international supports and civil society organisations CSO’s.

Yusuf Writes from Abuja and can be reached on yus.abubakar3@gmail.com.