Tony John, Port Harcourt

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has said that the state government would partner with the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) to ensure the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals in the state.

Governor Wike stated this on Thursday during a courtesy visit on him by the UNICEF Country Representative Mr. Mohammed Fall to the Government House, Port Harcourt.

Governor Wike also directed relevant state government agencies to step up their performances for the expected improvement in key areas.

He said that the Rivers State Government has established structures to ensure improvements in the areas of immunisation, children and maternal healthcare, as well as sanitation.

The governor decried the fact that the state government is yet to attain 100 percent immunisation coverage, pointing out that the Ministry of Health and relevant agencies had been directed  to work round the clock to record improvement.

Said he, “Anything pertaining to the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals will be tackled for the benefit of our people.

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“We must progressively improve in all the areas where we are yet to attain 100 percent.  We must take vital steps to ensure we move at a pace  where everyone will be happy,” Governor Wike said.

The governor added that the State Government would engage in advocacy in the areas of breast feeding and immunisation.

Earlier, Mr. Fall commended Governor Wike for the regular payment of counterpart funds for critical United Nations programmes.

He solicited partnership with the Rivers State Government to deepen areas of cooperation for the attainment of greater results for the population.

He sought for the leadership of Governor Wike for consistent growth in the areas of the reduction of child and maternal mortality, improved immunization and breastfeeding, so that Rivers would be a reference point in Nigeria and the sub-region.

Fall regretted that the statistics for Nigeria in the areas of maternal mortality, child mortality and access to primary education were not  encouraging.  He said, if Nigeria attains the Sustainable Development Goals, it would impact positively on the continent.