Bayelsa SDGs to commission 100-bed Mother and Child Hospital • As Agency decries poor funding
By Amgbare Ekaunkumo,Yenagoa, Trek Africa Newspaper
Senior Special Assistant and State Focal Person on SDGs, Bayelsa State, Dr. Ebiwari Wariowei
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) office in Bayelsa State, says the Agency is set to commission 100-bed Mother and Child Hospital later this month.
The agency also said it has carried out several intervention projects since 2020 in the State, including the construction of vocational school, distribution of hospital equipments to primary healthcare centres across the eight local government areas, adding that the agency has constructed 12.5km roads.
Highlighting some of the notable achievements, the agency said it had trained 366 Bayelsa youths in different vocations with starter-packs aimed at reducing poverty and social vices.
Meanwhile, the Agency decried the lack of funding to enable it carry out its intervention projects and programmes, towards achieving its objectives in the state.
The Senior Special Assistant and State Focal Person on SDGs, Dr. Ebiwari Wariowei, disclosed this during a roundtable engagement with heads of media establishments and journalists at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
He lamented that apart from the Bayelsa State government’s fifty percent conditional scheme, the SDGs office in the state was yet to get funding from any donor agencies, and called for support and partnerships from International Oil Companies (IOCs), international bodies and other well-meaning organisations.
He said the media engagement was to forged new media partnership with SDGs in Bayelsa State and beyond to get to the solution and resolutions that will enable it achieve the SDGs goals by the year 2030.
Wariowei said: “We are going to work around, but the only assurance for now is that the Governor of Bayelsa State Senator Douye Diri is passionate about the SDGs in Bayelsa State and whenever we approach him for funds particularly as its affects our fifty percent conditional grants scheme he is always ready to oblige.
“Let it be on record that we have not received any funds from any donor agencies but as it stands now, what we are doing so far is from contributions from the state government alone. We are calling on International Oil Companies (IOCs), well meaning organisations and international bodies to partner with us so that we can drive the SDGs in Bayelsa State forward.”
“We are not going to be in partnership with the media by telling our stories or by looking at the challenges, but collectively with the media we hope we shall get to the solution and resolutions that will enable us to achieve the SDGs goals by the year 2030.”
