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, who spoke on  a topic; ‘Transformation in people’s lives through public digital platforms: The Nigerian Experience’, assured the global community of the commitment of the National Assembly to review the country’s laws to address the challenges facing the country.

Highlighting 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 digital platforms were being deployed in the areas of democratic governance and political accountability by the government, the media and civil society organizations.

“Nigeria has diligently invested in digital infrastructure, established robust cyber security frameworks, and implemented digital identity systems,” he said, adding that the government was also working with agencies and civil society organisations towards fully embracing the global Open Government Partnership initiative.

“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,” he said.

Yari, on the other hand, emphasised the need for closer collaboration between the executive and legislative branches of government to meet the SDGs.

“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,” he said.