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The United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, has charged state governors in Nigeria to deliver on their campaign promises before leaving office.

Mohammed gave the charge at the 2023 Nigeria Governors’ Forum induction for new and returning State Governors held May 14-17 2023, in Abuja.

In a statement made available to our correspondent by the UN Information Centre on Thursday, Mohammed said that under the constitution of Nigeria, State Governors have the authority and the responsibility to deliver on critical foundations of infrastructure and basic services leading to social and economic development.

She noted “The first term goes very fast, and the second term even faster. Campaign promises made must be delivered, and that’s hard. It requires an effective team, one that can deliver on those promises that have been made.

“The only way to build a more cohesive nation and a more harmonious world is to deliver better for people: Better services, better opportunities, better safety, better government, and a healthier environment.”

She acknowledged that resource constraints were very real and that prioritising, phasing and levering other partnerships would be key.

The UN Deputy Secretary-General highlighted four common areas where action and attention are urgently needed.

She said “First, you will need institutional capacity. Secondly, you will need trusted partnerships. Thirdly, financing the means of implementation; and fourthly, the area that is most in your hands: leadership.”

Mohammed assured that “Our Resident Coordinators and our UN Country Teams are here in Nigeria at your service but also across borders in the continent. And the new Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework between the United Nations and the Government of Nigeria, which is the bedrock of our collaboration and shared pursuit of the SDGs but also of the African Union’s 2063 Agenda.”

The Chairman of the Forum, and Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, said the induction seminar was organised to support the new governors in developing the essential skills for democratic governance.

Tambuwal said, “To kickstart this post-election democratic process, we have invited governance experts, bureaucrats, and entrepreneurs, within and outside the shores of this country, to share their expertise on democratic governance in a diverse political economy with unique peculiarities in the modern governance framework.”