…says data very critical
From Charity Nwakaudu, Abuja
The 2023 All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for governor in Rivers State Tonye Cole has said that for Nigeria to radicate hunger,it must design a simple, implementable, and sustainable model and stick to it over time.
Cole while speaking at the Nigeria zero hunger symposium organized by T200 foundation to mark world hunger day in Abuja yesterday,stressed that the actualization of world zero hunger by 2030 deeply depends on Nigeria.
He added that data is critical to ending hunger and poverty in Nigeria, stressing that there must be integration of data of all vulnerable persons in the country through government relivent authorities in collaboration with non-governmental organizations who are always in the fields.
“Nigeria is once again in a unique historical juncture in which some measures, if done correctly and with the right political will, can be enormously transformational for the country and the continent at large. It is clear to me that unless Nigeria meets the SDG 2030 target, Africa will fail to attain the SDG and should Africa fail, the global agenda for SDG 2030 will fail.
Data is critical and a fundamental component in the race to achieving SDG 2 in Nigeria. We miss the comparable advantage inherent in collaboration when NGOs such as T200 Foundation, Action Against Hunger, The REACH Nigeria Foundation operate in silos. The government is likewise blind to the work that numerous non-governmental organisations are doing in this area, and the data they collect is not reflected in any unified government database.
I would therefore like to use this platform to call on the government to consolidate the various data gathering platforms such as the National Social Register (NSR), National Identification Number (NIN), Biometric Verification Number (BVN) and then create an interface with NGO’s active in the field to integrate the data they have with that of the government to create a comprehensive register of all vulnerable persons in Nigeria.
Cole further reiterated that poverty eradication in Nigeria is very doable if the government can provide opportunities for citizens to improve on their economic wellbeing.
The founder T200 foundation Emmanuel Osadebay on his part said that the state of hunger in the country is very worrisome and needs urgent attention.
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