Experts Urge Inclusive Budgeting To Address Plight Of Children With Disabilities

Experts lamented significant gaps in Nigeria’s budget allocation, particularly in the education, health, women’s affairs, and humanitarian sectors, leaving children with disabilities behind.

The experts spoke during a media roundtable on inclusive budgeting for children with disabilities organised by The Qualitative Magazine (TQM) with support from The Leprosy Mission Nigeria (TLMN) in Abuja on Monday.

Speaking while giving a presentation at the event, TLMN’s National Director, Dr Sunday Udo, stated that despite general references to disability and social welfare, clear budget lines for children with disabilities are largely missing.

According to Udo, children with disabilities face higher barriers to schooling, delayed access to healthcare, greater protection risks, and lifelong poverty.

“If children with disabilities are not clearly budgeted for, they are effectively excluded – no matter how good our policies sound,” he said.

In the education sector, he noted that the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) 2 per cent special needs fund is the only consistent national financing mechanism for disability education, with an average annual allocation of N10-N12 billion, representing less than 0.3 per cent of total education spending.

Udo added that the health sector’s Basic Healthcare Provision Fund has a vulnerable group window, but disability is not explicitly recognised, and no child disability fund exists.

He noted that the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, responsible for child welfare and protection, receives less than 1.0 per cent of the total federal budget, resulting in structural underfunding and limited impact.

“There is no specific fund for children with disabilities and no early intervention financing,” he stated.

In the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Udo stated that it has a social investment programme exceeding N500 billion, but disability is lumped under general vulnerable groups, with no tracking of children with disabilities as beneficiaries.

He stressed that this is not just a technical gap, but a question of equity, accountability, and justice, urging Nigeria to move from general promises to specific, trackable budget commitments for children with disabilities.

“Budgets are moral documents. They show us who counts and who is still invisible,” he said.

Also, Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD), Hon. Ayuba Burki Gufwan, expressed concern over the grossly inadequate budget allocation for persons with disabilities, noting that the commission is estimated to represent 35-38 million Nigerians with disabilities, many of whom are children.

Gufwan stated that the NCPWD is advocating for a budget that is commensurate with the population and specific budget lines for children with disabilities.

He appealed to ministers, heads of agencies, and commissions to make their budgets more inclusive, emphasising that the drive in the disability community is to ensure that no one is left behind.

In his remark, Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the President on Special Needs and Equal Opportunities, Mohammed Abba Isa, who was represented by Director of Media and Communications, Office of the SSA, Mr Lanre Oloyede, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to disability-inclusive budgeting, emphasising the need for adequate funding and effective implementation of policies benefiting children with disabilities.

Earlier, in his opening remarks, Executive Director of TQM, Comrade Chris Agbo, emphasised the crucial role of the media in promoting inclusive budgeting for children with disabilities, stating that accurate and ethical reporting can ensure that budgeting processes reflect the realities and needs of this marginalised group.

He noted that millions of children with disabilities in Nigeria remain invisible in public planning and budgeting, and urged the media to play a proactive role in amplifying their voices and promoting inclusive policies.

“The media plays a powerful role in shaping public understanding, influencing policy priorities, and holding duty bearers accountable,” Agbo said.

He added that the roundtable aimed to strengthen the capacity of media practitioners to interrogate budgets, ask the right questions, and tell stories that drive action and reform.

Agbo emphasised that inclusive budgeting is not charity but justice and an obligation, adding that TQM’s mission is to change narratives, challenge exclusion, and promote policies and practices that uphold the dignity and rights of persons with disabilities.

The event brought together media practitioners, development partners, and stakeholders to discuss ways to promote inclusive budgeting and ensure that children with disabilities are not left behind.