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“After I arrived in 2016, I got down to transcend the standard engagements with governments, the diplomatic and enterprise communities, and interact and work together with the folks, and their various cultures and traditions. It has been an unimaginable journey, with milestones and legacies to construct on.
Within the final 5 years, as I utilized myself to realizing this imaginative and prescient for the UN, I’ve loved large assist and goodwill from the federal government and folks on the federal, state, and native authorities ranges. For this, I stay perpetually grateful, as this may not have been attainable with out their steady assist and steerage.
Nigeria: a possibility and a danger to the African area
Nigeria, being probably the most populous nation in Africa and the quickest rising economic system within the area, offers nice alternatives for financial progress and growth, not solely within the nation however in your entire African area.
On the flip aspect, these alternatives additionally include challenges. Nigeria is at a crossroads, with a number of, advanced challenges which have implications for peace, growth, and stability throughout the continent and past.
Consequently, Nigeria represents each a possibility and a danger to the area at giant and should tackle 5 vital danger elements to make sure peace, safety and stability within the nation: social cohesion, equality and non-discrimination; inner safety; financial stability; justice and rule of legislation; and displacement and migration.
UNIC Lagos/ Oluseyi Soremekun
Edward Kallons, UN Resident Coordinator in Nigeria (l) and Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari (r)
Myriad challenges
Nigeria is dealing with plenty of megatrends, together with multidimensional poverty; governance and human rights deficits; local weather change; sluggish financial progress at a time of excessive inhabitants progress; the restricted involvement of ladies in civil society and politics; youth unemployment; and pockets of battle, banditry, criminality and terrorism pushed by ethno-religious variations, and an increase in hate speech.
Farmer-herder conflicts have develop into a part of broader tensions between varied actors, the proliferation of small arms and lightweight weapons continues to threaten nationwide safety, and Nigeria accounts for 70 per cent of the roughly 500 million unlawful arms believed to be circulating in West Africa.
The United Nations response
The UN’s partnership with the Authorities of Nigeria has been fruitful over time and I go away with singular delight within the success we now have had in elevating worldwide consciousness of the affect of the atrocities dedicated by Boko Haram on harmless civilians, and joint efforts to deliver hope to folks affected by the insurgency.
Collectively, we averted a famine in 2017, tackled cholera outbreaks, alleviated human struggling by offering humanitarian help to over 5 million folks in north-east Nigeria yearly, mobilized over $3.2 billion for the humanitarian response in north-east
Nigeria from 2017 so far, and navigated the COVID-19 pandemic and the affect the Boko Haram insurgency has had on hundreds of thousands of individuals. Via the Nigeria One-UN Basket Fund, which raised $73.3 million for the pandemic response, the UN procured round 40 per cent of Nigeria’s COVID-19 medical provides.
UNIC Lagos/ Oluseyi Soremekun
5. UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria, Edward Kallon
Harnessing youth
The 41 million Nigerians aged between 18 and 29 represent some 40 per cent of the nation’s inhabitants, and shut to twenty per cent of all of the younger folks in Africa.
To unlock this demographic dividend, Nigeria should empower its youth to play constructive, unifying and modern roles, and absolutely embody them within the nation’s growth course of. The youth will need to have equal entry to financial alternatives and respectable livelihoods. They’re the current and way forward for Nigeria, and there’s a have to make them the nation’s energy in reaching sustainable growth.
I’m glad that the United Nations is supporting the federal government’s efforts by many interventions – together with Technology Limitless, a brand new public-private-youth partnership platform that may equip 20 million younger Nigerians with expertise and alternatives for financial empowerment and social affect – and the Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Programme (NJFP), a youth empowerment partnership initiative between the Federal Authorities of Nigeria and the United Nations Improvement Programme (UNDP), that seeks to attach 20,000 gifted graduates with native job alternatives.
UNIC Lagos/ Oluseyi Soremekun
UN Resident Coordinator in Nigeria, Edward Kallon (r) receiving COVID-19 provides at Nnamdi Azikiwe Worldwide Airport Abuja
Gentle on the finish of the tunnel
Within the midst of those challenges, I see gentle on the finish of the tunnel, with the surrendering of Boko Haram fighters, which is a second and alternative we should assist; the event of a compact to reinforce partnership and political buy-in with the Authorities; the scaling up of the actions of the North East Improvement Fee; and the scaling up of stabilization actions.
Nigeria should proceed on a progress trajectory, which have to be accelerated with main investments in social capital. The continuing counter-insurgency effort of the Nigerian Air Power (NAF) and Multinational Joint Job Power (MNJTF) have to be complemented with dialogue and a peace constructing course of.
There are such a lot of prospects, if Nigeria continues engaged on alternatives such because the promotion and implementation of the humanitarian-development-peace nexus, by prioritizing prevention at all times, growth the place possible and humanitarian help when wanted.
Nigeria should proceed tapping into regional efforts, initiated by the United Nations and different stakeholders, to handle the foundation causes of insecurity; in addition to strengthening public-private partnerships, personal sector engagement, and north-south and south-south cooperation and affect funding.
Ardour, humility and persistence
As I full my five-year tenure in Nigeria, it has been a posh, difficult and attention-grabbing interval within the service of humanity within the nation at giant, which I completed with ardour, humility and persistence.
Going ahead, I wish to encourage the Authorities of Nigeria to pursue an entire of presidency and complete of society method, as a pathway to surmounting the recurrent safety challenges the nation is at present dealing with.
2030 is across the nook, so is crucial to speed up funding to implement the Sustainable Improvement Targets and construct a sustainable future that advantages all Nigerians.
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