News
CSDN Sets Development Agenda, Renews Pledge to Achieve SDGs Nationwide
…Inaugurates Executive Committee, Expands Vision Beyond Campus
By Joel Ajayi
Students advocating for the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), under the umbrella of the Congress for Sustainable Development of Nigeria (CSDN), have reaffirmed their commitment to advancing the goals across all parts of the country.
At its maiden inaugural meeting held over the weekend in Abuja, the organization officially inaugurated its newly elected Executive Committee and laid out a comprehensive roadmap to intensify grassroots efforts toward achieving the SDGs.
Speaking at the event, Professor Gobna Wafure, Director of the CSDN Centre at the University of Abuja, emphasized the urgent need for collective action to localize the SDGs and overcome barriers slowing their progress in Nigeria.
“We must be relentless in our mission to promote inclusive governance, environmental stewardship, and equitable economic growth if we are to realize a truly sustainable Nigeria,” he said.
Also speaking, Dr. Limota Goriso Giwa, Deputy Director at the University of Abuja’s Sustainable Development Centre, underscored the limited time left to achieve the 2030 Agenda. She identified the lack of adequate training for public officials and sector workers as a key challenge undermining SDG implementation.
Dr. Giwa emphasized the vital role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in facilitating sustainable development and providing platforms for young people—especially students—to engage with the United Nations system.
“We’re proud of the University of Abuja’s efforts to train development experts. This will help close the capacity gap and support sustainable change,” she noted.
In his inaugural address, newly sworn-in CSDN President Muhammed Mustapha James reiterated the congress’s unwavering commitment to collaborating with government, media, and private sector stakeholders in pursuit of national development.
“The 2030 deadline is fast approaching. We need urgent and collective action from all sectors. Our goal is to reduce poverty and hunger significantly, and that requires real partnerships,” James said.
He added that the congress aims to expand its outreach beyond the University of Abuja, with plans to build capacity, raise awareness, and foster cooperation across all six geopolitical zones.
“While we may not achieve all the SDGs by 2030, our efforts will not end there. Sustainable development is a continuous journey,” he stated.
Citing Goal 17 of the SDGs, which emphasizes the importance of partnerships, James stressed that CSDN will actively engage with ministries, agencies, and relevant institutions to drive real change. He also affirmed the organization’s inclusive approach, welcoming participation from Nigerians of all backgrounds.
“We cannot leave the responsibility of eradicating poverty to the government alone. Everyone must contribute to bridging the gap,” he concluded.
Newly Inaugurated CSDN Executive Committee:President: Muhammed Mustapha James Vice President: Neoma Njoku, Secretary: Ahmed Abdul Yusuf, Assistant Secretary: Khadijat Babansule, Treasurer: Joyce Katuka.
Other are Financial Secretary: Mary Adebayo, Social Secretary: Usman Yusuf, Public Relations Officer: Olayinka Ojo.
The congress closed the event with a renewed vow to take its SDG message to the nooks and crannies of Nigeria, promoting sustainable development for all.
News
Tin City Warms Up for President Tinubu as North Central Embraces Renewed Hope
By Sunday Dare
When President Bola Ahmed Tinubu berths on the plains and rolling hills that dominate the Jos landscape tomorrow, he will meet a people resourceful, friendly and resilient but weighed down by conflict, yet unbowed by adversity.
So, tommorrow, national attention turns to the Plateau- a locale laden with history and rich with potential. From the tin mines that gave the city of Jos its name, to the Irish potato, strawberry farms and beetroot plantations that dot its landscape, Jos remains a land of promise—truly the Home of Peace and Tourism.
Jos is also deeply woven into Nigeria’s political history. Plateau is home to towering figures such as Generals JD Gomwalk, Yakubu Gowon, John Shagaya, Joshua Dogoyaro, and Jerry Useni. Solomon Lar, Senator Ibrahim Mantu and numerous others also stand tall in the annals Plateau political history.
Jos was also the rallying ground of the famed Langtang Mafia—a group of influential military officers from Langtang in Plateau State who, at the height of their power, played a significant role in Nigeria’s political and military affairs.
The story of Jos is both exciting and excruciating. The city lost its innocence some two and a half decades ago, when the popular Terminus Market was reduced to rubble through acts of arson and looting.
Thus at the turn of the millennium by 2001, Jos—and by extension, Plateau—was thrown into a cycle of unending conflict. Ethnic tensions, clothed in religious garb, tore through the city and spread across the state, dragging Jos into an abyss of violence, almost of Kigali proportions. Peace gave way to war, and tourism jaunts became undertakings to the undertaker.
Yet Jos has never surrendered. Every time it is written off, it rises again—scarred, but resilient. With its multi-ethnic, multi-religious fabric, the Plateau continues to trudge on in pursuit of peace, development, and egalitarian ideals.
It was here, in Jos, that Nigeria’s democratic resurgence was birthed. The historic SDP convention, where late General Shehu Yar’Adua and Chief Moshood Abiola held sway, took place in this city. Jos gave political life to Abiola, our hero of democracy in 1992
Now, thirty three years later, another hero of democracy and of the June 12 struggle returns to the Plateau. President Tinubu’s return and visit to Plateau State is not just to honor the transition to glory of Nana Lydia Yilwatda, the mother of the APC National Chairman.
It is a visit that carries deeper meaning—one of empathy, solidarity, and renewed hope for a people who have endured decades of turmoil. It is a mission to preach peace, console the bereaved, bind wounds, and assure Plateau of its central place in the Nigerian project.
Mr President comes not just to mourn, but to reconnect. He comes to parley with the North Central, to commiserate with a people who have suffered, and to extend the hand of renewed hope. That Renewed Hope is laying a solid foundation as evidenced by Naira at N1,455 per dollar, rising Foreign Reserves at $43bn, Trade surplus heading for N25tr. Revenues up 411% and Inflation down to about 20 per cent. Over 600,000 students benefiting from NELFUND.
This visit is more than ceremonial. It is a journey into the very soul of a people who have known pain, yet remain resilient; a land scarred by conflict, yet still brimming with hope and promise. As the Tin City opens its arms, Jos will not just receive the President—it will receive a message of solidarity, healing, and renewal.
Tomorrow is about remembering the glorious past, confronting the present, and charting a path to a peaceful and prosperous Plateau within a united Nigeria. With President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, Jos once again stands at the intersection of history and destiny.
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