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Presidency rejects creation of SDF management board

By Msugh Ityokura, Abuja
30 June 2021   |   3:02 am
The Presidency and other stakeholders, yesterday, kicked against the creation of a management board for the proposed Sustainable Development Fund (SDF).

[FILES] Buhari. Photo/TWITTER/NIGERIAGOV

The Presidency and other stakeholders, yesterday, kicked against the creation of a management board for the proposed Sustainable Development Fund (SDF).

The Presidential office in charge of SDGs, the National Population Commission (NPC), the Federation Ministry of Health as well as professional bodies such as the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) all expressed willingness to support the establishment of the Fund.

They, however, noted that since the Fund will be domiciled within the Presidential office in charge of SDGs, rather than a separate management board, it would amount to duplication of functions already performed by the existing body.

At a public hearing by the House of Representatives, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on SDGs, Adejoke Orelope Adefulire, who kicked against it, said, “while the Presidency supports the bill and the SDGs office is desirous of more funding to achieve its goals, we are of the view that setting up a separate management board would be burdening and compounding the bureaucracy associated with the operations of government agencies which slows down the pace of work.”

The NPC, represented by Margaret Edison, the health ministry and NBA all opined that the proponents of the bill should have taken cognisance of the practical fact that there is in existence a functional office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on the SDGs (OSSAP), since 2007 and that OSSAP reports directly to Mr. President on the SDGs.

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