The federal government has flag-off the National Schools Security and Emergency Response Centre geared towards responding to emergencies across all schools in the country. The centre is located at the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) headquarters in Abuja.
Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed said the centre will provide a consistent approach to the planning, management and reporting of threats and attacks in Schools in an organized manner.
Represented at the event by the minister of State, Budget and National Planning, Mr Clem Agba, the minister said the centre is designed to be a strategically planned smart and sustainable intelligence information gathering and sharing location that will be managed by professional security personnel.
The centre is expected to enable emergency communications and provide monitoring tools through the Common Emergency Communication and Information System (CECIS), a web-based alert and notification application enabling real-time exchange of information that will change the analog approach to quick fix or negligence of minor responsibilities to smart steps.
She added that this flag-off marks the commencement of the implementation of the Safe Schools program, which attests to the Federal Government’s commitment in providing Safe and cured teaching and learning environment for our children.
Earlier, the commandant-general of NSCDC, Ahmed Abubakar Audi said in view of the importance of education and human capital development towards national development, it has become expedient for the federal government to deploy extraordinary measures to tackle the spate of attacks on school facilities in Nigeria.
Audi said no nation can achieve sustainable development in the face of widespread insecurity of lives and properties.
The NSCDC commandant-general disclosed that, in the consideration of a multi working group, the NSCDC has been made the lead agency with the mandate to host the National Safe Schools Response and Coordination Centre.
