
…Warns insufficient funding undermines child rights
…Advocates for transparency, accountability in spending
By Chioma Obinna
As Nigeria joined in the commemoration of the Day of the African Child, the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF has called on the Nigerian government to prioritise children in budget planning and implementation. It also warned that insufficient and inefficient budgeting continues to undermine the realisation of children’s rights across the country.
Speaking during a media dialogue on public spending for children’s rights in collaboration with the Lagos State Ministry of Planning and Budget, the Chief of UNICEF’s Field Office for Southwest Nigeria, Celine Lafoucriere, highlighted the need for comprehensive fiscal strategies that centre on child welfare.
The event was held to commemorate the 2025 Day of the African Child (DAC).
“Budgeting for children shouldn’t be treated as a separate exercise. It should be embedded in the core planning for Nigeria’s population, guided by concrete data on where the most vulnerable children are and what their needs are in terms of clean water, education, healthcare, nutrition, and protection,” Lafoucriere said.
She revealed that UNICEF is collaborating with the Lagos State Ministry of Economic Planning to enhance transparency and accountability through a dedicated budget code.
This mechanism, she explained, allows every Naira allocated to child-focused programmes to be tracked, ensuring visibility and monitoring real impact.
“Allocation alone is not enough. Once the budget is allocated, it must be spent. Lagos and UNICEF are working together on this, but we all know it’s not sufficient.”
Despite Nigeria’s ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1991, Lafoucriere lamented that the country still struggles with poor child welfare indicators, including high rates of malnutrition, school dropouts, and child abuse.
“In Lagos, education is still largely self-funded by schools and families. Where is the investment in protecting children and giving them a fair start in life? These are not luxuries; these are human rights.”
She called on the media and civil society to hold governments accountable and to champion advocacy efforts.
“The Lagos State Government has a social contract not only with its adult population but with every child. If children and youth are not prioritised today, then the Lagos of tomorrow is at risk.”
Speaking, UNICEF’s Programme/Social Policy Manager, Muhammad Okorie, echoed similar concerns, emphasising the disparity between budget allocation and implementation.
Okorie said: “Every state in Nigeria budgets for children in one form or another. But the issue is not just about allocation—it’s about actual spending, equitable distribution, and evidence-based decision-making.”
He noted that while many states meet or exceed budget benchmarks on paper, the real test lies in tangible impacts on children.
He urged governments to adopt a “child rights lens” when making fiscal decisions to ensure that investments reach the most vulnerable children in every community.
Okorie also called for the full involvement of children and youth in the budgeting process. “Children know what they need. When you involve them in decisions, it leads to better outcomes and greater accountability,” he said.
The programme manager stressed the importance of monitoring and evaluation, urging the media, civil society, and the public to track projects and report on their implementation from the outset.
“We shouldn’t wait until the end of the year to ask what was done,” Okorie said. “Budgeting is not just about money—it’s about the lives of real children, and every naira must speak.”
UNICEF reiterated its commitment to ensuring that no child is left behind, advocating for urgent reforms in Nigeria’s approach to budgeting and implementation of children’s rights.
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