The federal government has decried the attack on schools in some parts of Nigeria, attributing it to the increasing number of out-of-school children in the country.
The national coordinator on Financing State Schools, Hajia Halima Iliya, stated that security challenges, including attacks on schools in the country, have continued to attract the federal government’s attention.
She spoke yesterday in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti state capital, at the Nigeria Police Strategic Stakeholders’ Forum on the Security of Schools in Ekiti State and Training of the Schools Protection Squad (SPS), which had the theme “Strengthening Security Resilience and Integration of Host Communities in the Protection of Education.”
In her address, Hajia Iliya, who was represented by the Head of Safe Safe Schools Unit, Force Headquarters, Abuja, CP Lanre Ogunlowo, the government, recognises its responsibility to create a safe and more secure learning environment and steps are being taken in this direction.
“In recent years, Nigeria has faced significant security challenges, including attacks on schools leading to school closure and relatively affecting host communities as well as increasing the number of out-of-school children in the country.
“As part of efforts to tackle the menace, the federal government launched the safe school initiative to enable children affected by conflicts to continue their education unhindered.
“The Ministry of Finance convened a forum to chart the way forward on how to address the menace of attack on education on a holistically and sustainable basis by creating innovative funding sources through federal, state and local government”.
Ogunlowo explained that the event was aligned with the national plan to finance safe schools in Nigeria. The plan aimed to protect schools, learners, teachers, and non-teaching staff from attacks in Nigeria.
“It is also designed to reduce the out-of-school children, improving Nigeria’s rating in the human capital index, providing guidelines and the framework for ensuring a safe and secure learning environment nationwide”.
Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji commended the Inspector General of Police, Mr Kayode Egbetokun, on the initiative. He said his government is already working in synergy with the police and other security agents to protect schools.
His Special Adviser on Security Matters represented him, Brig Gen Ebenezer Ogundana (rtd).
Oyebanji charged the school owners, administrators, and other stakeholders in the state with joining hands with police to make the school environment safe. He advised the police authorities to also beam their searchlight on the activism of internet fraudsters and cultists in higher institutions.
Earlier in his welcome address, the State Commissioner for Police, Mr Akinwale Adeniran, described security of lives and property as everybody’s business, not just for the government.
Adeniran noted that the initiative by the IGP Egbetokun was geared towards guaranteeing the security of students and teachers and ensuring a safe, secure environment in all categories of schools across the country.
He said, “The police, being the primary agent of government responsible for the protection of lives and properties of the citizens, in conjunction with the military, Civil Defense Corps, the South Western Security Network (Amotekun Corps), Vigilante Groups, local hunters, including other non-stakeholders, have put in place some measures to safeguard the students and their teachers alike.
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