FG committed to safety of schools —SGF

By Joy Baba – Yesufu

The federal government of Nigeria has said it is resolute in its commitment to curtailing attacks on schools in the country and eradicating insecurity, adding that remarkable initiatives have already been set in motion to that effect.
The assurance is coming at the backdrop of the recent incidents kidnappings of students at the Federal University Gusau in Zamfara State and the Federal University Dutsinma in Katsina State.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, (SGF) Senator George Akume gave the assurance at a national summit on safe schools held in Abuja on Thursday with the theme “Tackling the Identified Threats in Nigeria Safe School Project,”
Senator Akume said the urgency to safeguard our educational institutions and ensure the security of our students and teachers cannot be over emphasized while urging states and local governments to make budgetary provisions in support of the implementation of the Safe Schools Project at the state level.
The SGF further said states can key into this project by creating and coordinating response centres in collaboration with the National Response Coordination Centre to ensure that the benefits of this initiative extend to every corner of our nation.
“We are determined to enhance the coordination of the Safe Schools Project by ensuring that key stakeholders work cohesively within a unified framework. Hence, a Presidential Steering Committee for Nigeria’s Safe Schools Project will be inaugurated after the ongoing Ministerial Retreat. Our goal is to promote stronger synergy, optimize resource allocation, and ensure a more effective coordinated implementation of the SSD.
“Furthermore, it will establish a unified force that not only reacts to threats but also takes proactive measures to safeguard our schools” Akume added.
In his address, the minister of interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo said the safety and well-being of our students have been jeopardized, and the federal government is duty-bound to address these issues comprehensively.
The minister said in recent years, the nation has witnessed grave challenges that schools face due to threats from various quarters adding that safety of our schools is not just a government responsibility, but a collective one ;Parents, Educators, Law Enforcement Agencies, and Communities must all work together to ensure the safe learning environment our children deserve.
According to Mr. Tunji Ojo “the identified threats to our Safe School Project are numerous, and they range from insurgency to kidnapping, and even infrastructure vulnerabilities. We must adopt a multi-faceted approach that involves strengthening security, improving intelligence gathering, and enhancing the resilience of our school infrastructure.
“This program is an opportunity for us to brainstorm, share knowledge, and collaborate on strategies to mitigate these threats”.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Dr Ahmed Abubakar Audi said he was charged to see to the end of schools’ attacks on assumption of duty by the then Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola.
He said the charged led him and his team members to conduct a security vulnerability study on schools which revealed a shocking statistics that out of about 81,545 registered schools in the country, only about 22,398 were with perimeter fencing.