Safe Schools Initiative: Assessing the Safety of Our Schools

•As stakeholders express concerns 

By Adesina Wahab

When Boko Haram terrorists abducted more than 276 girls from the Chibok hostels in Borno State in 2014, Nigerians were unaware that this event would herald a series of mass abductions involving pupils, teachers and students from schools across the country. The toll in terms of deaths, injuries and those still held captive is difficult to quantify. In the past two years alone, at least 650 students have been abducted, not including teachers and other staff.

Read Also: Terrorists kill vice principal, 2 others in Kogi, Edo shuts schools

Following the Chibok incident, Nigeria and several international agencies launched the Safe Schools Initiative (SSI). Although an initial seed fund was provided, more than N250 billion has since been committed to the project. Yet the effort appears to be ineffective, as mass abductions continue to rise. The recent kidnapping of 46 people, including toddlers, from schools in Oyo State has again called the initiative’s effectiveness into question.

Recently, the Senate began a probe into the SSI, but as usual, after an initial show of interest by lawmakers, no substantive progress has been reported. The Safe Schools Initiative seems to exist more in documentation than in practice. Across the country, millions of children still attend schools that lack proper fencing, lighting, security guards or emergency response capabilities.

Security of lives is paramount — ASUSS boss

Felix Agbesanwa, a leader of the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS) in Ogun State, commented on the situation and proposed several measures: strengthening security presence around schools and vulnerable communities; establishing rapid‑response security units in border towns; improving intelligence gathering through community policing; providing emergency communication channels for schools in rural areas; ensuring collaboration among neighbouring states on security matters; and offering adequate welfare and insurance protection for teachers working in high‑risk areas.

Speaking about teacher safety, he said: “The teacher who lost his life never planned to die that day. Like every committed educator, he woke up with the hope of imparting knowledge to the students entrusted to him. Sadly, he never returned home alive to meet his family. Instead, he became another innocent victim of the growing insecurity threatening our educational system and the peace of our nation.”

“This painful incident raises serious concerns about the safety of teachers, students and every Nigerian citizen. Security is one of the primary responsibilities of government, and this is exactly why leaders were elected into positions of authority. Citizens deserve to live, work and teach without fear of being attacked, kidnapped, tortured or killed by bandits and terrorists. I strongly appeal to all state governors, particularly within the South‑West region, to rise decisively against these deadly attacks. The protection of lives and property must remain a top priority. Schools should never become centres of fear and mourning.”

State Police should not be delayed — NAPTAN leader

Chief Deolu Ogunbanjo, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN), noted that little progress has been made regarding the SSI.

“We want to see improvement in the security of our schools. We know that security concerns everybody, but surely, it is the government that will take the lead. That brings us to the issue of state police; I think there should not be any further delay in implementing the policy. People who are familiar with a particular area, who hail from there, would probably know all the nooks and crannies and what to do to secure such places.”

“Our children and teachers cannot function well in an environment that is unsafe. How can teaching or learning take place where both the teacher and the student are not sure of their safety? Most Nigerians are for education and we must not give in to the blackmail of the few who see nothing good in education,” he said.

Education remains the backbone of national development, and our schools must never become centres of fear and mourning.

The government must act swiftly and decisively to restore confidence in the educational system and guarantee the safety of teachers, students and school administrators across the nation.

School security must be treated as a matter of national emergency. The federal, state, local governments and communities must combine efforts to enforce standards on fencing, surveillance, emergency drills, crisis communication and staff preparedness. Each school should undergo regular security audits, with findings made public to ensure transparency and accountability.

Technology must also play a central role. Remote schools can be protected with CCTV cameras, alarm systems, perimeter sensors and emergency alert applications linked to rapid security response units. Crucially, the nation must tap into the intelligence capacity of local actors, vigilante groups, hunters, traditional leaders and community networks, whose knowledge of their terrain often surpasses that of formal security agencies.

Vanguard News

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