UNICEF Urges Increased Investment to Save 1.5 Million Under-Five Children in Jigawa
From Mika’il Tsoho, Dutse
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called on Jigawa State stakeholders to scale up budget allocations, releases, and spending on child-focused initiatives to safeguard the lives and future of over 1.5 million children under the age of five.
The appeal was made by the Chief of UNICEF Field Office, Kano, Mr. Rahama Rihood Mohammed Farah, during a media dialogue on Child-Sensitive Budgeting and Planning held at the Manpower Development Institute, Dutse.
Farah emphasized that investing in children through targeted budgeting is a long-term investment in the state’s prosperity. Despite recorded progress, he noted that Jigawa still grapples with one of the highest under-five mortality rates in Nigeria 127 deaths per 1,000 live births.
He highlighted other alarming indicators: 55.6% of under-five children are stunted due to malnutrition, only 5% of children under two receive a minimum acceptable diet, and educational outcomes remain poor, with just 2% of primary school learners possessing foundational reading skills and less than 1% demonstrating basic numeracy.
Farah also raised concerns over child labour, early marriage, and weak child protection systems, stressing that these figures represent real children whose rights are being compromised.
He urged the state to adopt child-focused budgeting a deliberate and systematic approach to ensure public resources are planned, allocated, and spent in ways that directly uphold the rights and development needs of children.
