The Commandant-General (CG) of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Dr Ahmed Audi at the weekend expressed worry over the increase in out-of-school children in Nigeria. Audi said the challenges posed by acts of terrorism, banditry and kidnapping in parts of the country accounted for the increase in the number of school children.
He said the rejection of Western education as the main doctrine of the Boko Haram insurgents was a strange phenomenon, especially in the North East region. He, however, expressed optimism that the problem would soon be a thing of the past as there are joint efforts by government institutions and security agencies to address the challenges.
The CG made the remarks during a courtesy visit of a delegation of the Norwegian Safe The Children organisation to the headquarters of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, which houses the National Safe School Security Response Coordination Centre (NSSRCC).
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Save The Children organisation, in Norway, was led by its Snr Safe Schools Adviser, Samar Albarghouti and assisted by Advocacy Manager, Education, Save The Children, Nigeria, Mr Badar Musa.
According to the CG who was represented by the Deputy Commandant General, Ibrahim Zakari Ningi, the National Safe Schools Security Response Coordination Centre was established to ensure the safety and security of pupils and students throughout the country following incidences of kidnapping and attacks on schools by some criminals.
Audi explained that Schools are parts of critical national assets and the Corps as the lead Security Agency charged with the responsibility of protecting critical national infrastructures and assets could not fold its arms and watch the country’s teaching and learning environment becoming increasingly unsafe.
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Audi regretted that prior to the establishment of the Centre, it was discovered that out of over 81,000 Schools in Nigeria, only about 22,000 were well secured. He asserted that the Centre had been taking proactive measures across the country to prevent attacks and kidnapping of students and pupils.
Audi said intelligence gathering through community efforts as well as surveillance activities around the Schools by security agencies have helped to nip in the bud premeditated attacks and security breaches around the Schools.
The NSCDC boss commended Safe The Children, Norway, for its over a hundred years of service to humanity especially in the area of education, assuring that its visit to Nigeria for stakeholders engagements would be a successful one.
The Snr Adviser, Samar Albarghouti, said the team was in Nigeria for the first time to meet critical stakeholders across the country on the imperative of cross-fertilisation of ideas and collaborations to address challenges facing the Schools across the country.
Albarghouti said the Norwegian Ministry of Education was keen on financial support and capacity building for personnel of the National Save Schools Security Response and Coordination Centre.
According to Albarghouti, Nigeria is a leading country in Africa and its commitment to the safety and security of children in their schools as well as the measures taken to address issues are points of reference for other countries to learn from.
Seunmanuel Faleye is a brand and communications strategist. He is a covert writer and an overt creative head. He publishes Apple’s Bite International Magazine.
