From Edirin Robinson, in Kaduna
As part of efforts to promote inclusive governance and protect the rights of children, the Kaduna State Government, through the Planning and Budget Commission (P&BC), with support from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), is set to integrate child-friendly budgeting into the state’s planning and budgeting processes.
The initiative was announced by the Commissioner of P&BC, Hon. Monrovia Mukhtar Ahmed, during the Kaduna Day of the African Child (DAF) commemoration with the theme: “Planning & Budgeting for Children’s Rights: Progress since 2010.
Speaking at the event held in Kaduna today, the Commissioner opined that the engagement is vital to encouraging all MDAs to critically examine and reform their budgeting and planning mechanisms, adopting a truly child rights-based approach.
According to him, the 2025 theme calls for stakeholders’ reflection on the journey undertaken since 2010, when the theme was “Planning and budgeting for children’s rights: a collective responsibility.
Hon. Monrovia disclosed that the need to increase child participation in Governance stems from the fact that Nigeria is a democratic nation, and the Kaduna State Government aims to achieve inclusivity by initiating a process for children to become policymakers.
“This event provides an opportunity for us to assess how far we have come in our efforts to mainstream children’s issues into planning and budgeting processes. The event aims to open channels of communication, fostering greater budget transparency, efficiency, effectiveness, and equity in resource allocation.
The objectives of the commemoration include: to galvanize political will for adequate resource allocation to child-focused services, to increase financial literacy among young people and raise awareness about child-friendly budgeting, and to promote collaboration between the government and our youngest citizens.
“We acknowledged back then that despite the best intentions, the realization of children’s rights was hampered by various factors, including resource limitations, inadequate consideration of child protection in national programs, inefficient resource use, and a lack of child participation in planning.”
He lamented the nonchalant attitude of Parents and Guardians towards observing the rights of children, saying that, although the government is responsible for the welfare of its people, the leaders cannot bear the burden alone; hence, the need for citizens to be faithful to their duties.
“We’re here to frankly review our performance, identify the strides we’ve made, and acknowledge the challenges that persist. For today, we will engage in a high-level stakeholder review of child-friendly budgeting performance from 2020 to 2025, delving into budget allocations, their impact on relevant indicators, and charting a way forward.
The Commissioner expressed optimism that the platform will increase awareness and greater participation of children in financial planning, identifying even more opportunities for improved child-friendly budgeting and policy formulation.
He charged the Stakeholders to collectively work towards a future where every child’s rights are not just recognized, but fully realized through strategic and child-friendly planning and budgeting.
“I extend a special welcome to all our distinguished participants: top policymakers from various MDAs, students, out-of-school children, UNICEF Champions, media representatives, our invaluable development partners, CSOs, and colleagues from UNICEF.
“Your diverse perspectives and expertise are essential to achieving our shared goals. “Your collective presence on this 17th of June, 2025, truly underscores the profound commitment we all share towards ensuring the well-being and development of every child in our State and Country Nigeria,” he concluded.
In her address, the Kaduna State Chief of Field office, UNICEF, Dr. Gerida Birukila, opined that the 2025 theme challenges Stakeholders to assess how effectively child rights are integrated into the state’s plans and budgets—and how much more needs to be done!
Unfortunately, according to her, financial commitments, allocations, and release often fall short of what’s needed to truly impact children’s lives, especially now, amid shrinking aid and tight fiscal space.
She applauded the efforts of the State Government in protecting children’s Rights, increasing its budget in children’s investment, particularly in education, health, social protection for vulnerable children, security enhancement, and inclusive rural development.
The Executive Director, however, observed that child welfare indicators in Kaduna remain concerning, with 29.8% of primary and 52.5% of secondary school-age children out of school.
“The under-five mortality rate is 127/1,000 births (global average is 37/1,000) Only 54.5% of children under five years have birth registration. Only 41% of children under 6 months received exclusive breastfeeding, and 66% of the population has access to basic drinking water.
“With a Multidimensional Poverty, Index of 0.311 – 56.5% of the population lives in multidimensional poverty (above the national average of 53.3%), with 34.1% in severe poverty.
Given these indicators, the CFO stressed that prioritizing children in budgets isn’t just the right thing to do—it’s smart economics because in Nigeria, children (0-18) years are estimated to represent 48% of the population, while in Kaduna, they represent approximately 52%.
“It is estimated that by 2055, Africa will be home to over one billion children (or over 40% of the World’s population). Our aspirations towards the eradication of poverty, the development of human capital, and economic growth cannot be realized unless investments are intentionally directed towards children.
As such, in addition to the legislative measures in place, such as domestication of the Child Rights Acts & establishment of the Child Protection Committee, the CFO emphasized the need to conduct periodic child rights impact assessment.
“Ensure availability of disaggregated data on children using various indicators, and establish a clear and accessible accountability framework for how budget is allocated, released, utilized, and tracked.”
According to her, ensuring non-discriminatory participation while safeguarding life, survival, development, and the best interests of the child is the best way to promote and protect children’s rights in planning and budgeting.
