The President of the Paediatric Association of Nigeria, Dr Ekanem Ekure, has criticised the 4.3 per cent allocation to health in the 2026 national budget, describing it as evidence of a troubling lack of investment in the well-being and future of the Nigerian child.

The PUNCH reported that Dr Ekure also demanded comprehensive remediation and medical intervention for victims of the Ogijo lead poisoning crisis linked to recycled battery factories, pointing out that the majority of those affected are children.

She stated that the incident should trigger stronger regulatory enforcement and coordinated national action to protect vulnerable children and safeguard their future.

Dr Ekure made these remarks in Abeokuta on Thursday 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.”

She explained that the theme reflected the urgency of Nigeria’s disturbing child health realities and the need for immediate action by professionals, government, and other stakeholders to reverse the negative trend.

The child health specialist revealed that Nigeria continues to carry a disproportionate burden of preventable childhood illnesses and deaths.

“Despite notable efforts, our country still grapples with high neonatal and under-five mortality rates of 41 and 110 per 1,000 live births respectively, persistent malnutrition, suboptimal immunisation coverage, and inequitable access to quality child health services, among other challenges,” she said.

Dr Ekure highlighted that the Ogijo lead poisoning crisis in Ogun State, caused by recycled battery factories, remains a serious concern, with children most severely affected.

“While we appreciate the shutdown of offending factories, comprehensive remediation, medical intervention, regulatory enforcement, and national action to protect vulnerable children and safeguard their futures remain our demand,” she said.

She noted that children across Nigeria continue to experience various forms of abuse, including abductions from schools and markets, especially in the northern region, in clear violation of their fundamental human rights.

These challenges, she added, are worsened by poverty, conflict and insecurity, climate change, and emerging health threats, emphasising that paediatricians, as daily witnesses to these issues, are morally obliged to speak out.

Dr Ekure stated that Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG-3) commits the global community to ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all, particularly by ending preventable deaths of newborns and children under five.

“Although Nigeria’s national child health policies and strategies align with this goal, sadly, the country remains one of those considered off track in achieving it,” she said.

The PAN President stressed that reaching SDG-3 by 2030 will demand accelerated action, sufficient financing, and innovative approaches that go beyond conventional methods.

She expressed disappointment that the 2026 budget allocates only 4.3 per cent to health, far below the 15 per cent Abuja Declaration target, signalling poor prioritisation of child health.

Dr Ekure advocated innovative funding models such as public-private partnerships, blended financing, and outcome-based funding linked to independently verified results.

She also recommended the adoption of technology to enhance immunisation tracking and coverage, improve disease surveillance and data use, and expand access via telemedicine and digital platforms.

Dr Ekure reaffirmed PAN’s commitment to forging partnerships that turn knowledge into action and policies into tangible improvements in child health outcomes.

“To the Federal Government, our plea remains this: let there be clear evidence of strong political will that treats child health as a national development priority, not merely a sectoral issue,” she said.

She urged state governments to substantially increase health sector budgets with specific focus on child health, noting that strengthening immunisation, nutrition, primary healthcare, and maternal and child health services requires consistent funding.

“Adequate investment in child health is a cost-effective strategy for improving health outcomes and accelerating social and economic development,” she added.

Meanwhile, the Minister of State for Health, Dr Isiaq Salako, represented by the Deputy Director of Child Health, Dr Omokore Oluseyi, reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to reducing child mortality to the barest minimum.

Dr Salako said the government has finalised the National Child Survival Action Plan, which prioritises evidence-based interventions including newborn resuscitation, integrated nutrition services, and community-based management of childhood illnesses.

“To drive these initiatives, the ministry is leveraging technology by digitalising the integrated community management platform to improve real-time diagnosis, referral, and data capture,” he said.

He pointed out 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.

Dr Salako appealed to stakeholders to support the implementation of these plans, especially in overcoming operational and implementation barriers in newborn care, child nutrition, and digital health.

In his keynote lecture, Prof Olugbenga Mokuolu, Professor of Paediatrics at the University of Ilorin and Strategic Adviser to the Ministry of Health on Malaria Elimination, emphasised that the role of innovative financing and technology deployment in achieving SDG targets, particularly in reducing mortality rates, cannot be overemphasised.