The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has announced plans to assist more than 500,000 children in Oyo State by providing essential social services. This initiative aims to accelerate development and improve the lives of children, who make up approximately 3.5 million of the state’s population.
UNICEF’s Chief of Lagos Field Office, Ms. Celine Lafoucriere, shared this development while speaking in Ibadan during an Advocacy Dialogue with Policy Makers in the Oyo State Government. Lafoucriere emphasized the importance of prioritizing the well-being of children, adolescents, and young people, stating that such efforts give them a fair chance at better and safer lives.
“This includes lifting them out of poverty and expanding access to basic social services like health, nutrition, sanitation, water, and education, including digital learning, which prepares them for 21st-century life,” she added.
Lafoucriere highlighted the 2022 Multidimensional Child Poverty Report, which revealed that Oyo State’s incidence of monetary child poverty stands at 13.2%, with multidimensional child deprivations at 33.0%. Despite appearing low, these figures are among the highest in South-West Nigeria, translating to over 535,000 children who are poor and deprived, unable to access basic social services.
“There is an urgent need to do more to fulfill every right of every child in Oyo State,” Lafoucriere stressed.
On systems strengthening, Lafoucriere noted that UNICEF has supported the state in generating evidence on child poverty and deprivation, improving development planning, budgeting, and public financial management systems. This includes the Situation Analysis of Women and Children (SITAN), the vision document (Agenda 2040), the 5-year Medium Term State Development Plan (MTSDP), the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF), and the development and launch of the Social Protection Policy, among others.
“Oyo State is very dear to UNICEF, and that’s why we seek more collaborations to better position the state in its rightful place as the Pace Setter within the region that will play host to other states for south-south learning,” she said.
National Updates correspondent reported that the engagement meeting with all Accounting Officers in UNICEF Line MDAs and other relevant stakeholders aimed to ensure that every child’s rights in Nigeria are protected, enabling them to survive, thrive, learn, be protected, and develop to their full potential. The initiative also aims to lift children out of poverty in a safe and sustainable environment.
Mr. Muhammed Okerie, the Programme and Social Policy Manager at UNICEF’s Lagos Field Office, reiterated the agency’s mandate to work with all state governments to protect children’s rights. He explained that the strategic meeting sought to address the comprehensive challenges faced by children today.
Okorie added that the meeting with critical stakeholders would help Nigerian children and women who are lagging behind in developmental strides to catch up with their counterparts in other parts of the world.
The Head of Service of Oyo State, Mrs. Olubunmi Oni, underscored the importance of children’s rights to the state government. Represented by the Permanent Secretary for Service Matters, Paul Oyekunle, the HoS commended UNICEF’s various intervention programs in the state.
Dr. Ojelabi Sunday, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, affirmed the Oyo State government’s commitment to the well-being of children and women. He assured that the state is ready to provide basic necessities for children and women in Oyo State.
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