LAGOS – On the occasion of Nigeria celebrating the 2025 Day of the African Child, UNICEF is calling upon governmental authorities to implement targeted budgetary strategies ensuring that disadvantaged children have access to clean water, healthcare, nourishing food, and secure surroundings.
This appeal underscores the necessity for focused financial strategies aimed at addressing the essential requirements of marginalized groups, thereby fostering a stronger and safer tomorrow for Nigeria’s youth.
The call was issued during a media dialogue about public expenditure on children’s rights, which was organized in collaboration with the Lagos State Ministry of Planning and Budget. This gathering highlighted the importance of making sure that children are not only represented in governmental fiscal strategies but also that their representation leads to significant, quantifiable, and impactful changes.
Céline Lafoucrière, who leads UNICEF’s office in southwestern Nigeria, warned about the ongoing discrepancy between allocated budgets and the actual support received by children nationwide. She pointed out that although funds are set aside for programs aimed at helping children, the critical challenge lies in ensuring these resources actually reach those in need and genuinely address their essential requirements.
Lafoucrière stated that budgeting for children ought not to be considered a distinct process. Instead, he emphasized that it should be integrated into the primary planning for Nigeria’s populace, steered by solid evidence identifying the most at-risk children and understanding their requirements regarding clean water, education, healthcare, nutrition, and protection.
She disclosed an active partnership between UNICEF and the Lagos State Ministry of Economic Planning aimed at implementing a specialized budget coding system. This structure facilitates the monitoring of each naira allocated to programs for children—aimed at enhancing transparency, reinforcing accountability, and making financial outcomes related to these areas more transparent.
Lafontrière cautioned that financial pledges should be accompanied by action. "After allocating the budget, it needs to be utilized effectively," she emphasized. Both Lagos and UNICEF are collaborating on this front; however, everyone recognizes that more work is needed.
Even though Nigeria ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child over thirty years ago, issues like child malnutrition, dropout rates at schools, and instances of abuse continue to be alarmingly prevalent—particularly in the Southwest region. Lafoucriere highlighted these troubling patterns as signs of a significant enforcement shortfall that needs immediate attention.
In a location such as Lagos, education continues to be predominantly financed by both educational institutions and households," she noted. "But where is the commitment to safeguarding children and providing them with an equitable beginning in life? Such investments should not be seen as optional extras; they are fundamental human rights.
She further challenged media professionals and civil society organisations to keep governments accountable and push for consistent, rights-based advocacy.
“The Lagos State Government has a social contract not only with its adult population but with every child. We must remind them of that duty. If children and youth are not prioritised today, then the Lagos of tomorrow is at risk,” Lafoucriere asserted.
At the forum, Muhammad Okorie, who serves as the UNICEF Program and Social Policy Manager, also contributed his thoughts on the significant gap between planned budgets and real expenditures. He pointed out that although each Nigerian state sets aside funds for children, how well these allocations are carried out differs considerably from one place to another.
Each Nigerian state allocates funds for children in some manner," stated Okorie. "However, the crux of the matter isn’t merely about allocations; it involves actual expenditures, fair distribution, and decisions based on solid evidence. While many states might fulfill or surpass their budgetary targets theoretically, the true measure lies in implementation and its effect on children.
Okorie praised the increasing policy convergence among Nigeria’s states but stressed that mere aspirations will not be enough to drive transformation.
For a government to be considered serious regarding child rights, it should demonstrate this through its budgeting and spending practices," he stated further. "We can only relax once every right of each child has been realized. The core idea is straightforward: ensure no child is left behind.
He underscored the value of inclusive budgeting that factors in both data and the lived experiences of young people. “Children know what they need. When you involve them in decisions, it leads to better outcomes and greater accountability,” Okorie noted.
As part of his concluding remarks, Okorie called for strengthened monitoring frameworks and year-round civic oversight of budget execution. “We shouldn’t wait until the end of the year to ask what was done. From day one, the media, civil society, and the public must track projects, follow the money, and report what they see. Budgeting is not just about money, it’s about the lives of real children, and every naira must speak.”
Olayinka Ojo, the Lagos State’s Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget,—represented by Olufemi Abiodun Orojimi, Director noted the state’s increasing investment in children over the years.
Orojimi said, “The Lagos State Government recognises that investment in children is an economic driver. It remains committed to increasing budgetary allocations and actual expenditures that promote the survival, development, protection, and participation of every child.”
He noted that early childhood development remains a key focus of the state’s development strategy, acknowledging UNICEF’s support in strengthening data systems and budget transparency.
He reaffirmed government’s commitment to collaborative advocacy and improved public accountability.
With Nigeria facing a youth-driven future, UNICEF’s message is clear: true national development begins by protecting the youngest citizens through fair, data-informed, and fully implemented budgets. Anything less risks mortgaging the future of a generation.
The media was urged to amplify child-focused issues, investigate budget implementation, and spotlight areas of underinvestment—particularly in sectors such as education, health, WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene), and child protection.
The session concluded with a collective call to action: for all stakeholders to ensure every Naira spent truly reaches the Nigerian child.
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