‘Community action vital for achieving SDGs in Nigeria’

Community action has the potential to help Nigeria achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), says Muhammad Bello Shitu, a professor of community development and innovation diffusion and global vice president of the UK-based International Association for Community Development (IACD).

Shitu made the assertion while guest speaking at the first-ever national conference of the School for Rural Technology and Entrepreneurship Development (SORTED), Kano State Polytechnic under the theme: “Reflections on Community Integration and the Attainment of Sustainable Development Goals in Nigeria,” which held recently in Rano, Kano state, Nigeria.

“The Nigerian state needs to explore the potentials offered by community development values and practices to make 2030 goals feasible and achievable,” urged Shitu.  “The core issues embedded in the idea and practices of CD supports and reinforce the SDGs including its targets. A deliberate effort of infusing CD practices by agencies implementing and/or coordinating implementation of SDGs in the states and national level is required to achieve success.”

Shitu said  to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Nigeria “we should think global and act local; CD undertaking offer us the opportunity for attaining SDGs, infusing CD practices in the implementation of the SDGs is required for achieving the SDGs. The 17 SDGs touch all facets of our life, we should all be in the vanguard for attaining community integration – inclusion and sustainability are at the heart of community integration.”