The federal government, through the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), has reinforced its measures to combat the scourge of kidnappings and terrorizing schoolchildren by establishing the National School Security and Emergency Response Center to increase monitoring and safeguard schoolchildren. Prince Clem Agba, Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, who inaugurated the facility in Abuja, guaranteed that the government funding would be promptly allocated to finance the entire safe school project.
This centre seeks to provide a secure and suitable atmosphere for children to study without fear of kidnappings or hostage kidnappings. Every child, according to Prince Agba, should have access to high-quality education so that they may reach their full potential and help make Nigeria a better country; doing so would also help the country meet its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This follows on the heels of a prior pledge made by Zainab Ahmed, Minister of Finance, Budget, and National Planning, he added.
Proactive solutions are essential for secure educational environments.
It is imperative to note that the Federal government has already committed to funding safe schools through the National Strategy on Funding Safe Schools and as contained in the 2023 budgetary allocation to guarantee a successful launch and ongoing funding for the program. In April 2021, a high-level meeting titled “Financing Safe Schools: Building Safe Learning Communities” was conducted as part of the efforts to emphasize the commitment to provide appropriate funds for the execution of the National SSD Plan of Action 2021–2023. The current administration has taken many measures to increase school safety for our students, and this event marks their accomplishment.
Nonetheless, it is well-known that the security situation in Nigeria requires a comprehensive overhaul and has become a serious worry to ordinary inhabitants due to the high prevalence of crimes in many sections of the nation. Even so, Prince Agba stresses the importance of supporting this and other initiatives that aim to improve school safety. He argues that proactive solutions, which prioritize a holistic approach to prevention, intervention, security, and emergency preparation, are essential for creating secure educational environments. It is also important to work on enhancing school safety through enhancing safety-related communications, school atmosphere, psychological support services, and public-organizational interest.
Terrorist activities have had a devastating effect on the country.
Associate professor and Commandant General of the NSCDC Ahmed Audi remarked on the new development, saying that the newly established National School Security and Emergency Center is the first of its type in the country. In his view, widespread fear for people’s lives and possessions makes it impossible for any country to advance. The development of the Boko Haram, whose principal goal is the eradication of western education in Nigeria, he said, worsened the country’s security situation.
Besides that, terrorist activities have had a devastating effect on the country, with several examples of school children, especially females, being abducted, as well as the murdering of students and teachers and the audacious detonation of explosives in schools. Given the importance of education to the economy, the Nigerian government has no choice but to take drastic action to stop the recent wave of assaults on educational institutions in the country. Consequently, it has been agreed upon and endorsed that all schools in Nigeria be made secure and safe so that education may take place without interruption.
Safety of schoolchildren should be the government’s first priority.
Upon the center’s opening, Audi said that different procedures would be undertaken with stakeholders to confirm the Standard Operating Procedure for this project and ensure the program’s successful functioning in Nigeria. Rauf Aregbesola, Nigeria’s Minister of the Interior, made some statements in which he emphasized the need to address the issue of school safety worldwide and stressed that Nigeria must do more to safeguard its children. The safety of schoolchildren should be the government’s first priority, he added. At the same time, Women’s Affairs Minister Pauline Tallen, who helped unveil some of the security surveillance trucks and devices, emphasized the need to protect the nation’s youth as they represent the future.
Related Link
NSCDC: Website
