A Nigerian researcher based in Scotland, Azibaolanari Okungbowa, has called for better coordination between Nigeria’s health, education and social care systems, arguing that structural gaps, rather than funding alone, often prevent families from receiving seamless support.
Okungbowa made the submission in a paper that draws on research conducted in Scotland, where she examined how multi-agency systems support children with developmental conditions and additional needs.
According to the researcher, coordination failures frequently stem from fragmented responsibilities, poor communication and system design, although funding shortages and high caseloads also contribute to the problem.
She noted that Scotland, despite having an established public health service, education system and social care structures, continues to experience challenges in coordinating support across agencies.
The study found that families often have to restart processes when moving between services, while professionals are unable to access information already held by other agencies, leading to fragmented support for children.
‘The problem was not only resources. It was design,’ Okungbowa said, adding that when agencies are structured to operate independently, effective coordination becomes difficult.
Drawing parallels with Nigeria, she said the country has health, education and social service institutions, trained professionals and relevant policies, but lacks the ‘connective architecture’ needed to ensure coordinated support for families.
She explained that a child with a developmental condition may receive care from different professionals, including paediatricians, educational psychologists and support teachers, yet parents are often left to coordinate communication between agencies because there is no shared information system or designated coordinator.
According to the research, 97 per cent of parents and carers surveyed in Scotland reported difficulties navigating support systems, while 87 per cent said they repeatedly provided the same information to different agencies.
To address the challenge, Okungbowa developed the Coherence Navigation Framework (CNF), which proposes three key elements for improving coordination across services.
The framework recommends appointing a single coordination lead recognised across agencies, creating systems that allow information to be shared between professionals, and providing proactive guidance to families throughout their interactions with public services.
She argued that implementing these measures depends largely on policy and system design rather than significant increases in funding alone.
Okungbowa said the findings from Scotland are relevant beyond the United Kingdom because coordination challenges exist wherever health, education and social care systems operate independently while serving the same individuals.
She urged Nigerian policymakers and system designers to focus not only on investment levels but also on how services connect to deliver coordinated support for children and families.
The researcher said identifying and addressing structural coordination gaps would help improve outcomes for families navigating multiple public services.
The paper was presented at the 21st International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences held at the University of Galway in July 2026. It draws on research conducted by Okungbowa, an independent researcher based in Aberdeen, Scotland.