At G20 Parliamentary Summit, Senate Pledges Commitment to SDGs, Pro-poor Policies

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

The Senate has pledged to support the President Bola Tinubu administration to meet the objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and other policies that would tackle poverty among Nigerians.

The Deputy President of the Senate, Barau Jibrin and the Chairman, Senate Committee on Water Resources, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, made the commitment at the just concluded 9th G20 Parliamentary Speakers Summit, held in New Delhi, India.

Barau spoke on  a topic ‘Transformation in people’s lives through public digital platforms: The Nigerian Experience’.

He assured the global community of the commitment of the National Assembly to review the country’s laws to address the challenges facing the country. 

The Deputy President of the Senate highlighted the impact of digital platforms on various sectors of the Nigerian economy.

He said although developed countries have gone far in the use and operation of digital technology, developing countries like Nigeria, are also tapping into the global trend, hence providing vast opportunities to the citizens. 

He said that digital platforms are being deployed in the areas of democratic governance and political accountability by the government, the media and civil society organizations.

He said: “Nigeria has diligently invested in digital infrastructure, established robust cyber security frameworks and implemented digital identity systems.” 

He added that the government is also working with agencies and civil society organisations towards fully embracing the global Open Government Partnership initiative.

According to him, “The 10th Senate is committed to reviewing our country’s laws to address the challenges not only in ICT but in all sectors of the Nigerian economy.” 

Yari, the former Governor of Zamfara State, on the other hand, emphasized the need for closer collaboration between the executive and legislative branches of government to meet the SDGs.

He said: “Summits like these are important because they allow us to see what other nations are doing in regards to collaborations between the executive and the legislative branches.

“We are here with the Speaker and the Deputy Senate President, who are our presiding officers, and all of us are learning a lot.

“We have seen how to bring a parliamentary dimension to global governance, raise awareness for the issues that matter and build the necessary political support for Nigeria’s international commitments.

“I am excited about partnering with the world to get things done in Nigeria, and I am grateful to the leadership of both chambers for this opportunity to strengthen our legislative relationships and parliamentary knowledge.”

The theme of this year’s summit is ‘Parliaments for One Earth, One Family, One Future.’ 

The Nigerian delegation, which also included the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, and other federal lawmakers, participated in four high-level sessions.

They included, Accelerating SDGs; Sustainable Energy Transition; Women-led Development; and Transformation in People’s Lives through Public Digital Platforms.