To ensure efficient and sustainable development in our society, governments at all levels have been urged to adopt a holistic approach in the empowerment of the citizenry to make the exercise successful.
Abdulgafar Ijaya, a professor of economics, University of Ilorin, stated this at the 2020 virtual celebrations of Federation of Muslim Women’s Association in Nigeria (FOMWAN) Week held in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.
The celebration was themed “Empowering Communities in Results-Oriented Project to Enhance Sustainable Development”.
Ijaya pointed out that a true empowerment programme encompasses four layers – economic, social, political and psychological empowerment.
Ijaya noted that government empowerment need to incorporate the four dimensions of empowerment, because according to him, taking one or two out of the four can never yield proper results.
He explained that empowerment doesn’t start and end with the economic aspect.
The United Nations has set year 2030 as the target date for the achievement of 17 Sustainable Development Goals, which include the eradication of extreme poverty, good health and wellbeing, gender equality, and zero hunger.
The University don posited that sustainable development can be attained through harnessing natural resources, maintaining and making the environment safe for future.
Ijaya advocated for collaboration between the government and the people to incorporate the four mechanism to enable the society produce projects for themselves and manage them as well, stressing the need for a change of attitude by the citizenry to make things better.
Earlier, in their submissions, the Chairperson National Committee On Community Development and Humanitarian Services, Khairat Sodique and the state Amira for the association, Maimuna Shehu appreciated the guest lecturer and congratulated Kwarans for keeping the pace.
They prayed God to put an end to the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria and the world, just as they advised the residents to observe high levels of personal and environmental hygiene to prevent the spread of the deadly disease.
