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By Amos Odhe, Yenagoa
The Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs, office in Bayelsa State, has cried out over the lack of funding to enable it carry out its intervention projects and programmes towards achieving its objectives in the state.
The senior special assistant, SSA, and state focal person on SDGs, Dr. Ebiwari Wariowei, disclosed this during a Roundtable Engagement with heads of media establishments and journalists at the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Press Centre, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
He lamented that apart from the Bayelsa State government’s fifty percent conditional scheme, the SDGs office in the state was yet to get funding from any donor agencies, as he solicited for support and partnerships from international oil companies, IOCs, international bodies and other well meaning organisations.
Wariowei however said that since his assumption of office in 2020, the SDGs under his watch has carried out several intervention projects across the state, adding that a 100-bed Mother and Child Hospital built by SDGs is set for commissioning later this month.
He said the media engagement was to forge a new media partnership with SDGs in the state and beyond, and to seek for solutions and resolutions that will enable it achieve the SDGs goals by the year 2030.
“We are going to work around, but the only assurance for now is that the governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, is passionate about the SDGs in Bayelsa State and whenever we approach him for funds particularly as its affects our fifty percent conditional grants scheme he is always ready to oblige.
“Let it be on record that we have not received any funds from any donor agencies, but as it stands now, what we are doing so far is from contributions from the state government alone. We are calling on international oil companies, IOCs, well meaning organisations and international bodies to partner with us so that we can drive the SDGs in Bayelsa State forward.
“We are not going to be in partnership with the media by telling our stories or by looking at the challenges, but collectively with the media we hope we shall get to the solution and resolutions that will enable us to achieve the SDGs goals by the year 2030,” he said.
