The UN Habitat Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr. Raymond Edoh has been awarded by the SDGs-Youth Africa on the basis of immense contributions in the implementation of the 17 SDGs across Africa stressing that his commitment in the achievements of the SDGs goals has earned him the continental honour.

The young oil mogul while speaking shortly after receiving the Award of Recognition, Dr. Edoh expressed hopes that the signing of the partnership deal would lead to better coordination and synergy amongst the uniform organisations and make it easier to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals at the grassroot levels.

He further expressed gratitude to the organisers of the event, particularly the SDG-Youth forum for the unique distinction given to him.

“The award means a lot to me because when you are recognised in this manner it means that people are seeing what you are doing and they appreciate you. This award will spur me into greater exploits and community service,”


Also speaking during the launch of the initiative, the Country Representative of SDGs Youth Nigeria, Engr. Ifeanyi Uzoh, expressed optimism that the partnership deal will enhance the ability of youth leaders and youth groups to localize the sustainable development goals in their communities whilst also developing policies and programmes that will enable young people to lead and thrive.

He stated that the five concerned key areas identified and the main focus are People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace, and Partnership. These areas are considered essential for achieving sustainable development, and a strategic partnership with the Uniform Youth Organizations is expected to make them more practicable and attainable, stressing that the SDGs Youth Nigeria are seeking to work with other organizations and stakeholders to promote sustainable development and achieve their goals.

“The essence of today’s event is to sign a partnership agreement between the SDG Youth Office and the National Association of Uniform Voluntary Organization (NAUVO) – that is, The Boys Scout, Girls Guide, Peace Corps of Nigeria, Royal Rangers International, and all the other Voluntary Youth Organisations that put on uniforms in Nigeria.

“This partnership initiative is geared towards executing five important projects that has to do with promoting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Also, we have been able to set up a Central Planning Committee that will pilot the execution of these projects, starting from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and then, to the 36 states of the Federation.

“The Partnership activities include: Establishment of SDG Clubs in Secondary Schools, SDG YOUTH Sports Festival for Secondary Schools, Miss SDG Youth Nigeria, End Gender Violence now, and the Menstrual Hygiene Project. These projects will help to drive the advocacy aspect of the SDG in Nigeria as well as the evaluation, implementation and monitoring of the projects,” Uzoh explained.





Earlier, while giving a lecture at the event, the UN Habitat Ambassador, Dr. Raymond Edoh has this to say.
"It's worth joining this history making event that is occasioned to officially engage the Nigerian Uniform volunteers in the execution of the Nigerian SDGs- Youth Projects which holds today 12 May, 2023 At th MKO National Stadium, Abuja-Nigeria.


"The three major concern terms as to why we are here today are SDGs, Uniform, Volunteerism.
To start with SDGs, permit me to take us on a quick history.




"History: The 2030 global United Sustainable Development Goals known as SDGs in acronym, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future.

"At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are:
GOAL 1: No Poverty, GOAL 2: Zero Hunger, GOAL 3: Good Health and Well-being, GOAL 4: Quality Education, GOAL 5: Gender Equality, GOAL 6: Clean Water and Sanitation, GOAL 7: Affordable and Clean Energy, GOAL 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, GOAL 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, GOAL 10: Reduced Inequality, GOAL 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, GOAL 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, GOAL 13: Climate Action, GOAL 14: Life Below Water, GOAL 15: Life on Land, GOAL 16: Peace and Justice Strong Institutions, GOAL 17: Partnerships to achieve the Goal


"All these are an urgent call for action by all countries - developed and developing - in a global partnership. They recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.
The SDGs build on decades of work by countries and the UN, including the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs
• In June 1992, at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, more than 178 countries adopted Agenda 21, a comprehensive plan of action to build a global partnership for sustainable development to improve human lives and protect the environment.
• Member States unanimously adopted the Millennium Declaration at the Millennium Summit in September 2000 at UN Headquarters in New York. The Summit led to the elaboration of eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to reduce extreme poverty by 2015.
• The Johannesburg Declaration on Sustainable Development and the Plan of Implementation, adopted at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in South Africa in 2002, reaffirmed the global community's commitments to poverty eradication and the environment, and built on Agenda 21 and the Millennium Declaration by including more emphasis on multilateral partnerships.



"The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim to transform our world. They are a call to action to end poverty and inequality, protect the planet, and ensure that all people enjoy health, justice and prosperity. It is critical that no one is left behind.

"To achieve these goals, it is necessary that future decision-makers and stakeholders in society consider these goals to be important and that's why we're are all gathered here today.

"It was possible to categorize the SDGs into three higher-level factors that reflect the three pillars of sustainability (social, economic, environmental). These three pillars are considered to be of varying importance in different countries. We also correlated the ratings of these higher-level factors with country-specific indicators, such as the Human Development Index. The correlations between the indicators and the higher-level factors revealed that in countries with higher indices, the SDGs are rated as less important compared to in countries with lower indices. These results provide stakeholders with important guidance on how the SDGs should be promoted in their country.



"Coming to uniform volunteerism:
one sector of the social economy in the Nigerian Community that is viable and productive is the voluntary organisations.
Volunteerism is playing an important role in almost every field of our social activity. You contribute to employment creation, active citizenship, democracy, provide a wide range of services, play a major role in sport activities, represent citizens' interests to various public authorities and play a major part in promoting and safeguarding human rights as well as having a crucial role in development policies.

"Volunteerism, over the years have made an increasing contribution to the development of Nigeria which is something that should be encouraged and to keep motivating the players by giving them more widows to showcase their talents, which is the major reason why we are here, today.
Volunteers however engage in a lot of roles including:
(a) Service delivery or provision to provide to their members or clients services such as social services, health care, training, information, advice or support.
(b) Advocacy: organisations whose purpose is to campaign, lobby, and otherwise argue on behalf of some cause or group with the aim of changing public perception or policy.
(c) Self-help or mutual aid: organisations typically formed by groups of individuals with some common interest or need in order to provide mutual help, information, support and cooperation.
(d) Resource and co-ordination: so-called "intermediary bodies" which co-ordinate the activities of, or provide information and support to, either individual organisations working in a particular field or to the sector in general. Such organisations fulfil the important function of providing an interface between the sector and public authorities.
Given this importance, the nigerian volunteering Community sees time as its most precious resource. So if you are considering volunteering, but wondering if it’s worth your time and effort, it’s important to remember that even though you won’t be earning a wage, the skills you gain are priceless.
Volunteers gain so much out of volunteering: new friends, a sense of purpose, a connection to the community and the satisfaction of helping others. You’ll also pick up plenty of soft skills that you can use to help you land to your dream job. Today, the SDGs Youth-Nigeria wants to engage you all because of the skills acquired over the years through volunteering.
Before we get into the skills gained from volunteering, it’s also worth highlighting the volunteer skills that organizations are looking out for.

"What qualities make a good volunteer?
Some of the key qualities that volunteer organizations look for are: Passion, Compassion, Strong work ethic, Teamwork, Time management, Positive attitude, Willingness to help.
These soft volunteer skills are more important than any technical or special skills for volunteering, as anyone with the right attitude and a willingness to learn can be trained for specific tasks. All of these skills we have seen in you and we want to see congratulations. You can celebrate your selves, please.

"We are engaging you all today because you all have acquired lots of skills ranging from ability for teamwork, problem solving, creativity, persistence, leadership skills, relationship building, confidence, punctuality, organization amongst many others. Please, don't disappoint us, don't disappoint SDGs Youth-Nigeria.

"I wouldn't want to bother you with too much lecture today, but just to say a big congratulations for this little beginning. Assuredly, there would be a mutual benefit in the nearest future", he added.







The partnership between the SDGs Youth Nigeria Office and the National Association of Uniform Voluntary Organisation (NAUVO) is a positive step towards promoting the involvement of young people in achieving the SDGs. The NAUVO is a group of young people who are committed to promoting volunteerism, community service, and national development.

Through this partnership, the SDGs Youth Nigeria Office and the NAUVO can work together to raise awareness about the SDGs, mobilize young people to take action towards achieving the goals, and monitor progress towards achieving the SDGs in Nigeria. This partnership is an excellent example of how collaboration between different organizations can help to promote sustainable development and improve the lives of people in Nigeria.

The initiative, according to the SDG Youth forum, is aimed at building a robust Public Private Partnership (PPP) with strategic youth organisations and civil society bodies in Nigeria to prioritise and achieve the SDGs.

The one-day event which held on Friday at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja also sought to advocate for a more sustainable world by spreading vital information about climate change, supporting alternative energy research and protecting the environment, encouraging sustainable trade and consumption, and promoting more equal and sustainable lifestyles.


Also speaking, the National Coordinator of NAUVO, Amb. Abraham Kwaghfar gave a brief background of the organization. He said the National Association of Uniform Voluntary Organization was established in 2018 to serve as a rallying platform for all Uniform Voluntary Organizations towards greater synergy and national progress.

He noted that the Partnership initiative with the SDG Youth forum, was a timely and welcomed development, adding that the initiative will lead to greater synergy and productivity amongst the uniform organisations.

Amb. Kwaghfar also used the opportunity to call on the Federal Government and President Muhammadu Buhari to assent to the Peace Corps Bill. He said the signing of the Bill will provide job opportunities and stem the tides of widespread insecurity across the country.

He said: “We want to use this opportunity to call on the Federal Government, particularly Mr. President, to do all within his power to sign our appeal that is before his table; that is, the Nigeria Peace Corps Bill. We strongly believe that if the Bill is signed, many of our members and sister-organisations will benefit from it. It will reduce crime and create job opportunities