Recently, the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, disclosed that over half a million children in Oyo stare are poor and deprived of basic social services like health, nutrition, water, and education.
UNICEF’s Chief of Lagos Field Office, Ms. Celine Lafoucriere, stated that the 2022 multidimensional child poverty report ranked Oyo State’s incidence of monetary child poverty at 13.2 percent and multidimensional child deprivations at 33.0 percent. These figures are among the highest in Southwestern Nigeria.
She said , “ this may sound like very small percentages. But in actual numbers, it’s among the highest in the southwest of Nigeria. It translates into over half a million children who are poor and deprived and are unable to access basic social services, which, in UNICEF terms, we translate as children’s basic human rights.”
“You’d agree with me that there’s an urgent need to do more together towards realising every right of every child in Oyo State.”
Parents across the state have voiced their worries and shared their struggles in light of this report. In a survey conducted in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, Ibadan City Announcer, discovered that a significant economic downturn affects families’ ability to provide basic needs for their children.
The rising costs of living, worsened by inflation and economic instability, have left many households struggling to afford even the most basic necessities.
Parents and guardians who spoke with Ibadan City Announcer expressed their frustrations and struggles. “Feeding my children has become a daily struggle. We can no longer afford three square meals, and sometimes they go to bed hungry,” said Mrs. Taiwo Gbadamosi, a mother of four.
Another parent, Mr. Sunday Alao, added that, “The cost of education is increasing , it’s only the youngest of my three children that is still currently attending a government school that is even far from the family house. Others have to help me in my shop so we can feed the family.”
These parents are calling for immediate government intervention. They pleaded with the state government to subsidize basic necessities, such as food and school supplies, to help alleviate the burden on them and other struggling families.
Government is thereby advised to create sustainable solutions that will lift these families out of poverty. These include increasing investment in social welfare programs, improved access to quality healthcare and education, and economic policies that support low-income families.
Report by Adeola Oladele for IbadanCity ANNOUNCER
