By Femi Bolaji

The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) has called on governors of six North East states to take immediate action to address child poverty in their regions.

Speaking at a two-day policy dialogue in Gombe, UNICEF’s Mohammed Kamfut emphasized that the right policies and increased budgetary allocations to child-sensitive sectors can help children grow out of poverty.

Kamfut noted that 47 million Nigerian children live in households below the national poverty line, and that northeastern Nigeria has the resources to ensure children thrive with the right commitment. He expressed hope that the dialogue would contribute to the realization of children’s rights through improved budgeting and funding of child-responsive interventions.

Deputy Governor of Gombe State, Manasseh Jatau, emphasized that leaders have a responsibility to ensure children’s well-being, as they cannot prepare budgets for themselves. He encouraged the meeting to come up with resolutions to change the negative trend of poverty and deprivation for children across the six states.

The policy dialogue aims to support and advocate for children’s well-being and rights, with a focus on social budgeting for child-sensitive sectors in the 2025 budgets of Adamawa, Taraba, Bauchi, Gombe, Yobe, and Borno states.