By Godwin Otang
Nigeria ranks 146th out of 166 countries in implementing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), according to a 2023 report. In response, the National Youth Assembly of Nigeria (NYAN) has inaugurated its Cross River State Executive with the goal of improving SDGs implementation across the state.
NYAN has identified the slow progress in SDGs implementation in Cross River and is pushing for immediate improvements. The recent report placed Nigeria among the bottom 20 countries in SDGs implementation, while Finland leads the list with an 86.8% success rate, followed by Sweden at 85%.
After inaugurating the NYAN state assembly in Cross River, Ambassador Eugene Ojua, Chairman of the Electoral Planning Committee, emphasized that the primary objective is to enhance SDGs implementation across the state.
Ojua stated, “It’s a joy to see this succeed. Our goal is to address issues affecting the youth and to develop SDG-centered policies that positively impact them. We aim to collaborate closely with the State House of Assembly to ensure these policies are adopted and enacted into law.”
The policies will focus on engaging the youth in SDGs implementation in the State. The newly formed state assembly consists of 18 representatives from the 18 Local Government Areas (LGAs) and 196 LGA ambassadors from the wards, each with one representative. This structure includes both state and local government representatives.
The elected officials include Ambassador Bassey Nton Nton as the Speaker of the State Assembly, Effiom Angela Effefiom as the Deputy Speaker, Edet Cletus as the Cross River State Southern Representative, along with other local government and ward representatives.
Addressing political influence, Ambassador Eugene Ojua said, “We are aware of the obstacles posed by the politicization of youth groups. That’s why we carefully selected our ambassadors to ensure they truly represent our views and opinions. We have limited political influence and are working independently as an organization, aiming to collaborate more closely with independent organizations rather than politicians.”