Disturbed by the alarming decline in budgetary allocation to child- sensitive sectors ahead of 2025 budget estimates, policy makers and stakeholders from the six North East states of Adamawa, Taraba, Bauchi, Gombe, Borno and Yobe states have called for increased and adequate budgetary allocations to social sectors in the zone, with direct bearing on children and women.
This is part of the recommendations in a communiqué issued at the end of a two day workshop tagged: North East strategic policy dialogue on social budgeting for child sensitive sectors in Nigeria”, organised by the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) for stakeholders in the North East, which include Commissioners for Finance, Budget and Planning, Education, Health, Water Resources, Women Affairs, heads of finance, permanent secretaries, journalists and other stakeholders drawn from the six North East states.
The meeting further called for the establishment of agencies for out- of -school children and scaling up of foundational literacy and numeracy; increased investment in human resources for health and upgrade of health facilities and investments in nutrition through matching funds for nutrition funding among others.
Speaking at the event, the Chief UNICEF Bauchi Field Office, Mohammed Kamfut, represented at the dialogue, expressed concern that despite global efforts to honour commitments to children, especially in advancing and safeguarding their rights and ensuring that they have resources to survive, many of the world’s poorest and disadvantaged children continued to be left behind, facing challenges of hunger, malnutrition ,poor health or no access to quality education and essential services among others, which further diminish their opportunities to reach their full potentials.
On his part, Gov. Mohammed Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe state, represented by his deputy, Dr. Manassah Daniel Jatau, called for increased budgetary allocations and expenditures to child sensitive sectors in the zone, and creating budget code for social protection at all levels, which must be linked to social protection, miniseries, departments and agencies, stressing that the onus lies on them as leaders to ensure improvement in allocations and effective implementation of budget on social sectors because children are not in a position to make budget for themselves.
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