Governments across the Northeast region, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and other stakeholders have converged on Gombe State to chart a path to ending child poverty through increased budgeting and release of funds on issues of children in the country.

Deputy Governor of Gombe, Dr Manassah Daniel Jatau, who spoke yesterday during a two-day dialogue on social budgeting for the child-sensitive sector of the region, stressed the need for increased public allocation and expenditure in the Northeast geo-political zone of Nigeria.

The deputy governor also advocated the need to create a budget code for social protection in budgets at all levels, which must be linked to the social protection, Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

Also speaking, the Officer-In-Charge of UNICEF’s Bauchi Field Office, Mohammed Kamfut, noted that poverty infringes upon children’s human rights and perpetuates a relentless cycle of deprivation that is challenging to break without adequate support.

UNICEF said over 47 million children in Nigeria are currently living in poverty.Kamfut said that child’s poverty leads to numerous adverse outcomes for children, including hunger, malnutrition, poor health, and limited or no access to quality education and essential services, adding: “As children grow older and remain in poverty, the impact of these deprivations intensifies, further diminishing their opportunities to reach their full potential.”