By Adeyinka Adeniran
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has pledged to invest $16 million over three years in Oyo State, to support the state government’s efforts in promoting children’s rights. The investment aims to improve healthcare, education, and protection for children in the state.
According to UNICEF, the investment will be used to implement a three-year working plan in Oyo State, with a focus on achieving the rights of children.
However, in 2025 alone, UNICEF has committed to spending $5.2 million on activities supporting children’s rights in the state.
The Executive Assistant to Governor Seyi Makinde on Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, Mr Kolawole Bello made the disclosure on Thursday while giving a remark during “A Child Rights Advocacy Dialogue with all the 33 local government Chairmen in Oyo State”.
The dialogue which held at the Plaza D’ Aruna Hotel, Oyo was aimed at getting the Council Chairmen to “prioritize children, plan for children, budget for children and spend for children from bottom up in view of the autonomy granted to LGAs in terms of allocations.”
Bello who spoke on behalf of the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Professor Musbau Babatunde said the state government is committed to working with UNICEF to ensure the rights of children are met.
He emphasized the importance of local governments in implementing initiatives that benefit children, noting that they are the closest tier of government to the people.
Bello said, “As we all know, the local government is the closest government to the people. It’s the government at the grassroots level. Whatever intervention or initiative by the government or development partners like UNICEF want to implement is better it’s implemented in collaboration with the local government and in fact, getting the buy-in of the local government for the activities or the intervention to have impact that we all expected.
“We are gathered here at ensuring that our local governments collaborate with the state government and UNICEF to ensure the rights of the child. It’s rights like education, health, protection and other social issues. And it is better implemented at that level of local government considering the location of the people and the closeness of that, the territorial government to those benefit. But when we talk of the rights of the child, we look at that right from pregnancy.
“UNICEF has a three-year working implementation plan in Oyo State. There is about over $16 million to be spent over the three years. However, in 2025 alone, UNICEF has pledged to commit over $5.2million to its activities to supporting the activities in Oyo State.”
Also speaking, UNICEF’s Social Policy Manager, Muhammad Okorie, highlighted the need for local governments to prioritize children’s rights, despite the challenges posed by limited financial autonomy. He emphasized that local governments have a critical role to play in ensuring that policies and programs aimed at promoting children’s rights are implemented effectively.
He said, “Without realising the fact that we cannot make meaningful inroads without getting in touch and getting the commitment of that third tier of government that is closer to the people, closer to the grassroots, where the key actions that are geared towards fulfilment of the right of the child is taking place, we can’t move an inch.
“And that’s why we have decided that it is high time we brought together all the local government chairmen to again reiterate and discuss with them what are those key child right issues which they know.
“But we also needed to provide them with some evidence to show that the number of children you have in the states, which is above three million, is a significant number that we must all strive and work together to achieve their rights. And within these numbers, in terms of achievement of the right of the child, we can say for sure that while they are making improvements, that there is a long way to go.
“And this parley is really very critical so that we can come up with key strategies that ensures greater partnership for us to work together to achieve these rights.”
Recognising that the financial autonomy for local governments is neither here nor there, Okorie expresses optimism that with the parley, the local can make improved budgetary allocation to issues that pertains to children rights in their affairs.
“Now that takes us to the roles that the local governments play. Number one is that before we even get to the finances, which is really very critical because at the end of the day, what are we advocating for is increased spending for children for the realisation of the right of the child, as enshrined in the fourth article of the convention on the right of the child. So increased spending is really very critical.
“But even at that, local government chairmen themselves also play key roles as key actors and duty bearers. Their presence, their political commitment, and their leadership roles has a lot to do with already funded interventions by states. The fact that they don’t have financial autonomy does not mean that resources are not spent at the LGA’s level.
“That means that whatever resources they have must be prioritised in the best interest of the child. Policies are developed at the state level, but those policies are to be implemented at the LGA level. And the local government chairmen have that key roles of ensuring that this happens”, he added.
Speaking on behalf of the Chairman of Chairmen, Sikiru Sanda, the Chairman of Oyo East LGA, Mr Salami Akeem commended the initiative and assures that the council boss with do the needful to ensure the rights of children are better improved through the right budgetary allocations.
He said the partnership between UNICEF and the state government through the local governments will address many challenges and ensure that children’s rights are protected and promoted.
