UNICEF called for escalated investments in Katsina children's health, education, and protection on December 30, 2025, spotlighting 75% of kids trapped in multidimensional poverty deprived of basics like nutrition and schooling. The agency hailed state progress 15,000 out-of-school children enrolled, N1bn+ for malnutrition therapies, and Open Defecation Free status but warned 300,000 pupils remain sidelined amid Nigeria's 10.2m crisis.
Katsina leads with over 75% child poverty per NBS 2022 data, fueling lost potential in health, learning, and safety as Kano-Jigawa partnerships model RUTF funding and birth registrations. UNICEF's Kano Chief Rahama Farah stressed data-driven budgets to combat severe acute malnutrition and gender violence, echoing Abuja's waste health perils.
State-UNICEF ties integrated 112 Tsangaya schools, boosted immunization via solar PHCs, and launched Masaki anti-malnutrition drives now eyed nationally. Yet, 2025 Nigerian Child Report demands urgent multi-sector action to slash vulnerabilities paralleling Edo kidnaps and Kebbi tragedies.
Farah framed child funding as strategic priority, urging political will over goodwill to forge futures amid insecurity-driven displacements worsening Abuja-like crises. Katsina's youth vote pledges to Atiku underscore stakes as UNICEF pushes privatization models for sustainable child welfare nationwide.