Leadnaija
SOS Children’s Villages Nigeria, an internationally recognised child-focused development organization, has called for a renewed commitment to translating child-centered budgetary plans into measurable outcomes that reflect in the lives of Nigeria’s over 102 million children.
This call was in commemoration of the 2025 International Day of the African Child under the theme: “Planning and Budgeting for Children’s Rights: Progress Since 2010.”
The organisation noted that while policy-level improvements have been recorded over the past 15 years, particularly in increasing allocations to education, health, nutrition, and child protection, glaring inefficiencies in budget execution, disbursement, and accountability continue to stall real progress.
A statement signed by Advocacy and Communication Manager of SOS Children’s Villages Nigeria, Rhoda Daniel Ocheche, stated that investments in child survival, learning, protection, and psychosocial support must move beyond political declarations.
She added that sustainable transformation can only be achieved through increased and timely funding, strategic coordination, and robust accountability systems. She also underscored the importance of alternative care options and family strengthening programs, adding that SOS Children’s Villages remains a frontline actor in providing direct interventions and championing systemic reforms.
The organisation commended the Nigerian government for integrating children’s priorities into national and state budgets and acknowledged efforts to institutionalise transparency mechanisms, including improved budget coding for child-related expenditures.
Despite these advancements, the organisation expressed concern over structural bottlenecks and weak implementation frameworks that dilute the impact of allocations. In 2021, only ₦127 billion of the ₦742 billion allocated to education capital projects was actually released.
Furthermore, national budgetary allocations to education dropped from 6.5 percent in 2020 to 5.6 percent in 2021, rose to 7.9 percent in 2022, but declined again to 5.98 percent in 2024 an inconsistency that has failed to address the learning crisis.
Similar patterns of underfunding and erratic disbursement have continued to plague health and social protection sectors, especially at sub national levels, affecting service delivery to the most vulnerable populations.
