Some scholars of Lagos State University, LASU, have sent a strong message to the United Nations: To make Communication a major component of the development agenda whenever it reviews the Sustainable Development Goals, SDG.
The appeal was made by the 2024/2025 set of the Ph.D. students of the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies, Lagos State University, LASU, in a communique issued at the end of weeks of critical academic review of the SDG in the Communication for Development Class of the Ph.D programme.
The Class is made up of 32 students and the course is handled by the Dean of FCMS, Professor of Journalism and Media Studies, Professor Jide Jimoh, and a renowned academic, Associate Professor Olugbenga Toyosi Owolabi.
In its proposal, the Class declared that the importance of Communication in the development programme could not be over-emphasized, hence the urgent need for it to be made to stand alone and not just an appendage to any other goal, as it has been the case.
The scholars commended the United Nations for the introduction of the SDGs which replaced the Millennium Development Goals in 2015 in continuation of its determination to, through its 17 goals, put an end to poverty, inequality and solve the problems associated with climate change, among other challenges.
The Class also commended successive Nigerian governments, which in view of the country’s membership of the United Nations, agreed to the programme and localized it to make it useful and relevant to the development of the country.
The Class attested to the efficacy of the programme as a catalyst of development in the country in general and the rural areas in particular.
It is, however, of the view that a lot needed to be done to attain the specific developments expected to result from the SDGs.
Stressing the importance of Communication, the scholars stated their determination to present a research paper to expatiate and justify the importance of the need for the United Nations to consider Communication as a distinct goal following subsequent review of the SDGs.
The Class also urged communication scholars across Nigeria and beyond to embark on a campaign to make real the dream of having Communication as one of UN’s major goals.
The Class appealed to the media in general to give the necessary support to the cause of prioritizing Communication in order to achieve the important desire to make it a distinct goal.
It assured the United Nations that the inclusion of Communication as a major goal would fire the speed of the attainment of the true intention of its development agenda faster and better than it had been.
It applauded Nigerian government for the achievements so far, and encouraged it to renew its zeal and will to make a greater success of the SDGs for the betterment of humanity.
The communique reads in full:
“COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AT THE END OF AN ACADEMIC REVIEW OF THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS BY 2024/2025 PH.D STUDENTS OF THE FACULTY OF COMMUNICATION AND MEDIA STUDIES, LAGOS STATE UNIVERSITY, LASU, HELD ON MONDAY, 24TH NOVEMBER 2025, AT LASU.
“The 2024/2025 Ph.D. students of the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies, FCMS, Lagos State University, LASU, had weeks of critical review of Sustainable Development Goals, SDG, in the Communication for Development Class. The students were 32 in number and the lecturers that took them in the course were the Dean of FCMS, Professor of Journalism and Media Studies, Professor Jide Jimoh, and a renowned academic, Associate Professor Olugbenga Toyosi Owolabi.
“Monday, 24th November 2025, marked the end of the five weeks of the critical review, with submissions on the effectiveness of the SDG, its challenges and way forward. At the end of the exercise, the following resolutions were taken:
“1. The Class of 2024/2025 academic year commended the United Nations for the introduction of the Sustainable Development Goals which replaced the Millennium Development Goals in 2015 in continuation of its determination to, through its 17 goals, put an end to poverty, inequality and solve the problems associated with climate change.
“2. The Class also commended successive Nigerian governments, which in view of the country’s membership of the United Nations Organisation, agreed to the programme and localized it to make it useful and relevant to the development of the country.
“3. The Class attested to the efficacy of the programme as a catalyst of development in the country in general and the rural areas in particular.
“4. It, however, posited that a lot needed to be done to attain the specific developments expected to result from the SDG.
“5. The Class was quite emphatic about the obvious impossibility of the attainment of the goals set to be met in 2030.
“6. The Class therefore emphasised the need for the government, organisations and individuals to be intentional about working in synergy with the aim of achieving the set intentions of the SDG.
“7. In specific term, the Class called on the Nigerian government to show the political will and transparency in the discharge of their duties in order to ensure the success of the SDG ahead of the 2030 date.
“8. Also, the Class urged different relevant organisations and individuals in the different communities across the country to appreciate the provisions by the drivers of the SDG, own the infrastructure and make a success of the drive towards solving the basic problems which have continued to, unfortunately, stunted growth and development.
“9. The Class said the importance of Communication could not be over-emphasized hence it should no longer remain an appendage to any other goal in future goals setting.
“10. In particular and with great emphasis, the Class called for a review of the interconnected goals set by the United Nations for the SDG in the future.
“11. It reasoned that given its rightful place of importance, Communication would make easy, the attainment of other interconnected goals and make the world a better place.
“12. It is against this backdrop that the Class advocated that a future review of development goals should consider Communication as an integral part which should stand alone.
“13. The Class added that its call for the special consideration of Communication stemmed from the appreciation of its crucial role as a tool for the promotion of development goals in general.
“14. The Class therefore called on the United Nations to, in the next review, consider Communication as a distinct goal, positing that that would engender the successful attainment of other goals.
“15. The Class expressed its resolve to present a research paper to expatiate and justify the importance of the need for the United Nations to consider Communication as a distinct goal.
“16. It also urged Communication scholars across Nigeria and beyond, to rev the engine of advocacy for the inclusion of Communication as a distinct goal in future review of the development efforts of the United Nations.
“17. It called on the media in general to give vent to such research work and advocacy in general to be able to achieve the important desire to make Communication a separate goal.
“18. Finally, it assured the United Nations that the consideration of Communication as a separate goal would fire the speed of the attainment of the true intention of its development agenda.
“19. While praising the government for the achievements so far, it encouraged it to renew its zeal and will to make a greater success of the SDG for the betterment of humanity.”
