Ms Celine Lafoucriere, Chief of UNICEF Field Office for South-West Nigeria
By Millicent Ifeanyichukwu
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called for more advocacy in budget planning and implementation to ensure protection of children’s rights across Nigeria.
Ms Celine Lafoucriere, Chief of UNICEF Field Office for South-West Nigeria, made the call on Monday at a media dialogue organised by UNICEF, in collaboration with the Lagos State Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget (MEPB) .
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event was to commemorate the 2025 Day of the African Child.
The event held in Ikeja with the theme: ‘Planning and Budgeting for Children’s Rights’.
According to Lafoucriere, the advocacy will go a long way to ensure that allocated funds reach intended beneficiaries as well as ensure that children’s welfare is being prioritised in Nigeria’s budgets.
She identified the media and the civil society as driving forces in the advocacy, adding that insufficient and inefficient budgeting were undermining protection of children’s rights.
She said that UNICEF had been working closely with the Lagos State MEPB to improve transparency and accountability in budgeting through the creation of a dedicated budget code.
“This system allows for every naira spent on child-related programmes to be tracked, ensuring visibility and helping to monitor real impact,” the official said.
She said that budget should be embedded in the core planning for Nigeria’s population and should be guided by concrete data on where most vulnerable children were as well as their needs with regard to clean water, education, healthcare, nutrition and protection.
Lafoucriere said that Nigeria had made marginal progress over the years in marginal percentage increases in budgets but real spending in favour of children’s rights across all social sectors was still insufficient.
Lafoucriere decried the high rate of malnutrition, school dropout and child abuse in the South West, saying that it was a sign of an implementation gap.
“In a place like Lagos, education is still largely self-funded by schools and families, where is the investment in protecting children, in giving them a fair start in life? These are not luxuries, these are human rights.”
“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 youths are not prioritised today, then the Lagos of tomorrow is at risk,” she said.
Earlier, Mr Muhammad Okorie, UNICEF Programme /Social Policy Manager, said that in spite Nigerian states allocating funds for children’s programmes, significant gaps still existed in converting the allocations into actual benefits for children.
Okorie said that while most Nigerian states were budgeting for children, wide disparities still existed in how effectively the budgets were translated into tangible benefits for children.
“The issue is not just about allocation, it is about actual spending, equitable distribution and evidence-based decision-making.
“Many states may meet or exceed budget benchmarks on paper, but the real test is in what gets implemented and how it impacts children,” he said.
He, however, noted that many state governments had integrated child-focused policies into their development plans and medium-term sector strategies.
He urged that intentions should be backed by strong financial commitment and implementation.
Okorie urges governments to adopt a ‘child rights lens’ when making fiscal decisions.
“The Importance of engaging children and the youth in the budgeting process is crucial.
“Children know what they need. When you involve them in decisions, it leads to better outcomes and greater accountability.”
In his presentation, Mr Olufemi Orojimi, Director, Lagos State Ministry of Economic and Budget Planning, stated that Lagos used data and citizens’ request to drive effective planning, budgeting and implementation.
“Currently, the state tracks and monitors utilisation of funds earmarked for child’s protection,” he said.