FG set to launch Presidential Steering Committee on School Safety

The Safe Schools Project, a federal government initiative to protect the nation’s educational institutions from various threats, will have a Presidential Steering Committee to oversee its implementation and success. This was announced by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, at a national summit on the Safe Schools Initiative project in Abuja, with the theme “Tackling Identified Threats in Nigeria”.

The SGF, who was represented by Professor Bolaji Bernard Babatunde, his senior special assistant (technical), said the steering committee would be inaugurated after the ministerial retreat. He said the committee would ensure better coordination and optimal use of resources among the key stakeholders of the project, in line with the Safe Schools Declaration (SSD).

He commended the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the coordinating agency of the project, for launching innovative measures to prevent and respond to attacks on schools in the country and to restore security. He also expressed his sympathy to the friends and family of the late CP Frank Odita, a former Force Public Relations Officer who died recently.

The SGF stressed the need for urgent and comprehensive action to safeguard the lives and wellbeing of students and teachers in the country. He urged the states and local governments to support the project by making budgetary allocations and creating response centres in collaboration with the National Response Coordination Centre. He also praised the retired police officers who assisted the late CP Odita during his illness and called for improved welfare for retired police officers.

The minister of interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who also spoke at the summit, said the federal government had a duty to address the challenges facing the education sector due to various threats. He said the safety of schools was a collective responsibility, not only that of the government.

The Commandant-General of NSCDC, Dr. Ahmed Abubakar Audi, who organised the summit, said the aim was to equip and empower relevant stakeholders on the implementation of the project. He said he was committed to ending all forms of attacks on schoolchildren across the country. He, however, lamented the low level of support from state governments, saying that only a few had donated structures for the coordination centres.