The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals, Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulre has reiterated the commitment of her Office to advance the welfare of the Nigerian children.
In a statement she issued to mark the 2022 Children’s Day, Princess Orelope-Adefulire said the overall objective of Global Goals for Sustainable Development of building a better world for all cannot be achieved without adequate attention to the welfare and development of children who are the bedrock of the future.
The Presidential adviser added that in realization of the importance of education as a key driver for inclusion, empowerment and achievement of all the other 16 SDGs, her office has 2016 intervened in the sector with massive construction, rehabilitation and furnishing of educational facilities across the country.
“This is in recognition of the crucial role of education in the development of the individual, the society and in ensuring that no one is left behind. Let me reiterate the commitment of OSSAP-SDGs to determination of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to reduce the number of out of school children in Nigeria.”
The statement noted that between 2017 and 2020, OSSAP-SDGs constructed and furnished 3,613 Blocks of Classrooms. The Office also in 2018 launch the smart classrooms in collaboration with global digital giant, NetDragon Websoft in Abuja.
On the health sector, the Office, also between 2017 and 2020 completed or about to complete the construction and equipping of a total of 34 number 120 Beds Mother and Child Centres; 16 number 80 Beds Ultra-Modern Hospitals; and 84 number Primary Healthcare Centres across the country among other numerous projects.
Also, OSSAP-SDGs as part of the moves to help reduce maternal and Child mortality ratio in Nigeria in conjunction with Coca Cola and Medshare International launched the Safe Birth Initiative designed to support 10 selected tertiary level hospitals in the country with state-of-the-art life-saving medical equipment and technical capacity building. The Office has also supplied 4,634 specialized Hospital Beds to different Hospitals across the country.
In addition, Princess Orelope-Adefulire said OSSAP-SDGs has embarked on massive rehabilitation of premier healthcare facilities, complimented with supply of Intensive Care and Rural Ambulances to various hospitals across the country as part of its contributions to ensure that the mother and their children survive at birth.
“These interventions are directly linked to the achievement of Goal 3 on ‘Quality Health and Well-being for all’ and other cross-cutting SDGs. OSSAP-SDGs will continue to deliver strategic interventions with potentials for advancing the welfare and well-being of our children working with other stakeholders.
“I congratulate Nigerian children on this occasion of 2020 Children’s Day even as I urged us all as their parents, guardians and adult family members to also to rededicate ourselves and support government’s efforts to improve the welfare and well being of all children in Nigeria regardless of the circumstances of their birth,” she said.
