HEALTH SECTOR ALARMED AS FG ALLOCATES ONLY 4.3% IN 2026 BUDGET
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By: Fasasi Hammad
The President of the Paediatric Association of Nigeria (PAN), Dr. Ekanem Ekure, has condemned the 4.3 per cent allocation to health in the 2026 national budget, warning that it highlights a “troubling lack of investment” in the well-being and future of Nigerian children.
Ekure also called for comprehensive medical intervention and remediation for victims of the Ogijo lead poisoning crisis linked to recycled battery factories, noting that children constitute the majority of those affected. She stressed that the incident underscores the need for stronger regulatory enforcement and coordinated national action to protect vulnerable children.
Her remarks came on Thursday in Abeokuta during the opening ceremony of PAN’s 57th Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference, themed “Achieving SDG-3 and Child Health Care through Innovative Funding Models and Technology-Driven Solutions.”
Highlighting the urgency of Nigeria’s child health challenges, Ekure said the country continues to bear a disproportionate burden of preventable childhood illnesses and mortality.
“Despite notable efforts, Nigeria still grapples with high neonatal and under-five mortality rates of 41 and 110 per 1,000 live births, persistent malnutrition, suboptimal immunisation coverage, and inequitable access to quality child health services,” she said.
She expressed concern over the Ogijo lead poisoning crisis in Ogun State, noting that children remain the most affected. “While we appreciate the shutdown of offending factories, comprehensive remediation, medical intervention, and coordinated regulatory action remain our demand,” Ekure said.
The PAN President also highlighted broader threats to children, including abductions, abuse, poverty, conflict, insecurity, climate change, and emerging health risks. She argued that paediatricians, as frontline witnesses to these challenges, have a moral obligation to speak out.
Referencing Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG-3), Ekure stressed that while Nigeria’s national child health policies align with the global goal of ending preventable child deaths, the country remains off track. Achieving SDG-3 by 2030, she said, will require accelerated action, adequate funding, and innovative approaches.
Ekure criticised the 2026 health budget allocation, far below the 15 per cent Abuja Declaration target, as reflecting poor prioritisation of child health. She called for innovative funding models such as public-private partnerships, blended financing, and outcome-based funding, alongside technology-driven solutions to improve immunisation coverage, disease surveillance, and telemedicine access.
“To the Federal Government, our plea is clear: treat child health as a national development priority, not merely a sectoral issue,” she said. She also urged state governments to increase health sector allocations, prioritising immunisation, nutrition, primary healthcare, and maternal and child health services.
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Meanwhile, the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Isiaq Salako, represented by Dr. Omokore Oluseyi, Deputy Director of Child Health, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to reducing child mortality. Salako highlighted the National Child Survival Action Plan, which focuses on evidence-based interventions such as newborn resuscitation, integrated nutrition services, and community-based management of childhood illnesses, with technology leveraged to improve real-time diagnosis, referral, and data capture.
He noted that Nigeria accounts for over 17 per cent of global under-five deaths, with preventable conditions such as prematurity, pneumonia, malaria, and malnutrition as leading causes. Salako urged stakeholders to support implementation and address operational challenges in newborn care, child nutrition, and digital health.
In his keynote, Prof. Olugbenga Mokolu, paediatrics professor at the University of Ilorin and Strategic Adviser on Malaria Elimination, emphasised the importance of innovative financing and technology deployment in achieving SDG targets and reducing child mortality.
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