Ibadan: The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called for enhanced budget allocations to support the advancement of child rights in the 33 local government areas of Oyo State. This appeal was made by UNICEF’s Social Policy Specialist, Muhammad Okorie, during a Child Rights Advocacy dialogue with the local government area (LGA) chairmen in Oyo State.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Okorie emphasized the significant impact that realizing children’s rights at the LGA level can have on poverty reduction, peace acceleration, and development. He highlighted the importance of ensuring access to education, healthcare, and social services for children as a means to break the cycle of poverty. Okorie pointed out that investing in children’s rights could result in a more educated, skilled, and productive workforce, thereby driving economic growth and development. Furthermore, promoting the rights and well-being of children can contribute to building stable and peaceful communities, reducing the likelihood of conflict and violence.
Okorie stressed that the programme aimed to sensitize the chairmen and other stakeholders on the necessity of prioritizing children in budget planning and expenditures from the ground up. He noted the high number of out-of-school children in primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary levels across Oyo State’s LGAs, particularly in rural and hard-to-reach areas. Additionally, he stated that Oyo State has the highest open defecation rate in the South-West Zone, with only 10 per cent of schools and less than one per cent of healthcare facilities and public places having access to basic Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) services.
The statistics, according to Okorie, reveal chronic underfunding of critical services at the LGA level, exacerbating child rights deprivations. He noted the essential role of LGAs in delivering rights-based services, as they are closest to children and families. The volume and use of public resources allocated to ensuring compliance with children’s rights are crucial indicators of the priority that governments assign to these rights. Okorie emphasized the vital roles LGA chairmen and other stakeholders play in planning, prioritizing, and supervising local service delivery.
In his opening remarks, Oyo State Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Prof. Musibau Adetunji, represented by Mr. Gafar Bello, the Executive Assistant to the Governor on Finance, Budgets, and Economic Planning, acknowledged the local responsibilities encompassing most basic child rights such as education and health. He noted the indispensable roles of LGAs in successfully implementing UNICEF-supported programmes, highlighting their position at the grassroots level as crucial for community engagement, mobilization, and direct service delivery.
Mr. Sikiru Sanda, Chairman of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), Oyo State Branch, represented by Mr. Babatunde Salami, Executive Chairman of Oyo West LGA, expressed the readiness of ALGON members to support UNICEF in advancing child rights at the grassroots level.