Children deserves more than paper promise, NGO tells FG
By Ladi Dapson, Maiduguri
A Non governmental organization, SOS Children’s Village has called on the federal government to prioritise physical execution of children’s budget over consistent paper promises.
A statement released by the group on Monday to mark the International Day of the African Child said every Naira allocated to child survival, education and nutrition must serve its intended purpose.
While speaking on this year’s theme “Planning and Budgeting for Children’s Rights: Progress Since 2010,”, the statement quoted its National Director, SOS Children’s Villages, Erhumwunse
Eghosa as saying children’s welfarism must shift from lip service to measurable investments.
“The Nigerian child deserves more than promises on paper. Budgeting for children is not optional, it is imperative. Every naira allocated to child survival, education, nutrition, and protection translates to a stronger, prosperous Nigeria tomorrow.
“We must shift from lip service to measurable investments” he noted.
While highlighting the efforts of the organisation, he said “our organization remains at the forefront of child welfare, delivering family strengthening, Alternative care options, Education, Health services, and Psychosocial support to vulnerable children and families across the country.
“Beyond direct services, SOS also champions child-focused policy advocacy working with government agencies and communities to promote sustainable investments and ensure children are not left behind, these are channelled from effective fundraising for children, quality implementation and effective approaches”.
He however commended the progress made so far in Nigeria, particularly on children’s budget and Inclusion in national development.
“SOS Children’s Villages commends the government of Nigeria for the giant strides made toward integrating children’s issues into national and sub-national budgets. We also recognize the growing commitment to transparency, including the drive to improve child-focused budget coding and tracking
“Nigeria has recorded commendable progress over the past 15 years in prioritizing children in national development plans and budget frameworks. There have been visible efforts to increase allocations to education, health, nutrition, and child protection, strong pillars for child survival and growth.
” For instance the national nutrition budget saw a 700% increase between 2021 and 2025. Education and health allocations have also seen incremental rises in several years, reflecting a growing recognition of the importance of investing in young lives”
“However, despite these strides, persistent gaps in budget execution and accountability continue to undermine the actual impact of these efforts.
In 2020, education received 6.5% of the national budget. This dropped to 5.6% in 2021 and then modestly rose to 7.9% in 2022, before falling again to 5.98% in 2024. In 2021, only ₦127 billion of ₦742 billion allocated to education was released for capital projects, pointing to a troubling disconnect between allocation and implementation” he explained
They also commended the recent inaguration of the Child Rights and Welfare Commission, saying it will serve as a platform for the advancement of children’s right
” Most significantly, we applaud the national commitment to inaugurate the Child Rights and Welfare Commission , a long-awaited move that will serve as a cornerstone for advancing children’s rights, driving intersectoral coordination, and enhancing accountability”
