Health advocates are urging local government authorities in five northern Nigerian states to prioritise and earmark sufficient funds for maternal and child survival services at the community level, following the recent granting of fiscal autonomy to local councils.
The call, driven by health professionals and organisations including the Integrated Child Survival Advocacy (ICSA) project, stresses that the newly available local government funds must be directed towards strengthening primary healthcare. Sokoto, Kebbi, Kano, Kaduna, and Katsina were identified as having the poorest child survival indices, making urgent interventions in these regions critical.
Medical expert and Health Advocate, Dr. Fatima Adamu, warned that improved services cannot be achieved unless local governments give the health sector top priority, especially in remote “last mile” communities. “We need to engage with local authorities not to spend all the money on other areas but to give priority to the health sector, particularly mother and child survival interventions,” she stated. She highlighted frequent shortages of essential medicines and commodities at primary healthcare centres (PHCs), urging communities to actively monitor facilities and hold local chairmen accountable for replenishing stocks.
Dr. Nihinlola Mabogunje of the ICSA Project underscored that a good quality of life for children depends on local government provision of adequate funding for interventions like immunisation, life-saving vaccines, and emergency care. “We are joining the communities to ensure monitoring, whether or not resources are provided and used judiciously,” she said, adding that advocacy groups will follow up on government commitments to ensure funds are used as budgeted.
This push for community-led accountability is strongly backed by Dr. Mahmoud Mustafa Zubeiru, Head of Missions at the Centre for Wellbeing and Integrated Nutrition Solutions. He argued that real improvement in child survival rates occurs when health services reach local communities and when those communities demand accountability. “The advocacy is to ensure child survival becomes a priority not only in policy documents but in communities,” he said. He emphasised the need to equip community health agents and local leaders with evidence to prioritise child survival and to convinced residents of the necessity for action.
The advocates assert that the transfer of local government autonomy presents a pivotal opportunity. The mission now is to ensure that a significant portion of the new local revenue is consistently allocated to primary healthcare, that communities are empowered to track spending and service delivery, and that leaders are held responsible for every naira budgeted for maternal and child health. The success of this grassroots advocacy is framed as essential for reducing preventable deaths and achieving sustainable improvements in child and maternal survival across northern Nigeria.
