Paediatricians Slam Nigeria’s Health Budget, Demand Child Protection Action
Mirian Gom 
ABEOKUTA, Nigeria – The Paediatricians Association of Nigeria (PAN) criticises the 4.3 per cent health allocation in the 2026 national budget, warning that chronic underfunding threatens the survival and future of Nigerian children.
Speaking on Thursday at the association’s 57th Annual General Meeting in Abuja, PAN President, Dr Ekanem Ekure said the allocation reflects “a disturbing lack of priority for child health.”
“Nigeria continues to record unacceptably high neonatal and under-five mortality rates,” Ekure says. “This budgetary commitment is not enough to reverse the trend.”
She highlights neonatal and under-five mortality rates of 41 and 110 per 1,000 live births, citing malnutrition, poor immunisation coverage and unequal access to healthcare.
Ekure also demands urgent remediation and medical intervention for victims of the Ogijo lead poisoning linked to battery recycling plants in Ogun State. “Children remain the most affected. Factory closures alone are not enough,” she says.
The pediatrician calls for stronger regulation and national coordination to prevent future environmental health disasters, while also condemning rising cases of child abductions and abuse, particularly in northern Nigeria.
“These violations strip children of their fundamental human rights,” she adds.
Minister of State for Health, Dr Isiaq Salako, represented by Dr Omokore Oluseyi, says the government has finalised a National Child Survival Action Plan targeting newborn resuscitation, nutrition services and community-based care.
“Nigeria contributes over 17 per cent of global under-five deaths, mostly from preventable causes,” Salako says, noting expanded use of digital health tools to improve diagnosis and referrals.
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