UNICEF advocates enhanced budget for child rights in Oyo councils
By Olatunde Ajayi
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called for increased budget allocation for child rights advancement in the 33 local governments areas of Oyo State.
UNICEF’s Social Policy Specialist, Muhammad Okorie, made the call at a Child Rights Advocacy dialogue with the 33 LGA Chairmen in Oyo State.
Okorie noted that realising children’s rights at the LGA level would have significant impacts on poverty reduction, accelerate peace and development.
“By ensuring access to education, healthcare, and social services, children can break the cycle of poverty.
“Investing in children’s rights can lead to a more educated, skilled and productive workforce, driving economic growth and development.
“Promoting children’s rights and well-being can help build more stable and peaceful communities, reducing the likelihood of conflict and violence,” he said.
Okorie said the aim of the programme was to sensitise the chairmen and other stakeholders to the need to prioritise children in budget planning and spend for them from bottom up.
He observed that Oyo State still has a high number of primary, lower secondary and upper secondary out-of-school children across its LGAs, especially in rural and hard-to-reach areas.
According to him, Oyo State has the highest open defecation rate in South-West Zone, while only 10 per cent of schools and less than one per cent of health care facilities and public places have access to basic Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) services.
He noted that the statistics indicated a chronic underfunding of critical services at the LGA level which had worsened child rights deprivations.
“LGAs being closest to children and families and are essential for delivering rights-based services.
“The volume and use of public resources assigned to ensuring compliance with the rights of children remained crucial indicators of the priority that governments grant to these rights.
“LGA chairmen and other critical stakeholders have crucial roles in planning, prioritising, and supervising local service delivery,” he said.
Earlier, the Oyo State Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Prof. Musibau Adetunji, in his opening remarks, said that most of the basic rights of the child, such as education, health, among others fall under local responsibilities.
Represented by the Executive Assistant to the Governor on Finance, Budgets and Economic Planning, Mr Gafar Bello, the commissioner noted that the indispensable roles of LGAs in the successful implementation of UNICEF-supported programmes cannot be overemphasised.
“LGAs are positioned at the grassroots level, making them crucial for community engagement, mobilisation, and the direct delivery of services.
“Their comprehension of local contexts, cultural subtleties and community needs is invaluable.
“Effective collaboration at the local level ensures that interventions are precisely tailored to the specific needs of the community and efficiently reach the intended beneficiaries.
“By working together, the state government, LGAs, and UNICEF can leverage their respective strengths to maximise the impact of the interventions and ensure sustainability,” he said.
Also, Mr Sikiru Sanda, the Chairman, Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), Oyo State Branch, who was represented by Mr Babatunde Salami, the Executive Chairman, Oyo West LGA, expressed readiness of members to support UNICEF in ensuring child rights advancement at the grassroots. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Yetunde Fatungase
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