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From Uche Usim, Abuja
The Federal Government, on Tuesday, said the N144.8 billion Financing Safe Schools programme (2023-2026) launched last December was on course, assuring that efforts were on to retrieve all schools snatched by terrorists across the country.
The safe school programme proposes N32.58 billion in 2023, N36.98 billion in 2024, N37.15 billion in 2025, and N38.03 billion in 2026, respectively. To this end, the Federal Government has made a provision of N15 billion in the 2023 budget.
Halima Iliya Ibrahim, National Coordinator, Financing Safe Schools in Nigeria, while speaking on Tuesday in Abuja, said the funding of the Plan is through annual budgetary provisions from the Federal, States and Local Governments, government interventionist agencies, foreign government and multilateral institutions, businesses and philanthropist, donors partners and others.
According to her, the implementation strategy of the Plan aims to cover 50% of the most at risk public schools over the medium term 2023-2026. She added that the plan will focus on achieving building and integrating security resilient host communities in the protection of
education; strengthening the detection, deterrence, and response capabilities of the security agencies; equipping the school security, response and coordination centres in Abuja and States respectively; regular engagements and policy advocacy with the Nigerian public and key government officials on implementation of the national plan.
“Implementation of the Plan commenced in January 2023 with Flag-off of the National School Security and Coordination Centre by the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps being lead agency for the Protection of schools and government critical assets.
“The Inspector General of Police Mr Kayode Egbetokun is holding a Strategic Forum on the protection of schools and other learning places in Nigeria and the launching of the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the Police Special Squad for Safe Schools on the 9th August 2023”, she said.
She recalled that in recent times, Nigeria has been faced with the challenge of incessant attacks on schools by extremists, bandits and kidnappers.
“Hence in 2014, the country experienced one of the first major attacks on FGC Buni Yadi in Yobe State and in April same year there was another attack on Government Girls Secondary School Chibok in Borno State where 276 girls were kidnapped.
“In addressing these concerns, the Federal Government launched the Safe Schools Initiative (SSI), which aimed to enable children affected by conflict and insecurity to continue with their education unhindered.
“On 31st December 2019, Former President Muhammadu Buhari, formally signed “the Safe Schools Declaration Ratification Documents” which has been endorsed by 118 countries signaling Nigeria’s commitment to implementation.
“This commitment was followed by a high-Level forum in April 2021 convened by the immediate past Minister for Finance, Budget and National Planning Mrs. (Dr.) Zainab Ahmed in partnership with Emergency Coordination Center (ECC) on Financing Safe Schools in Nigeria, to chart a way forward in addressing attacks on education.
“In the same vein, on 25th-27th October 2021, Nigeria hosted the Fourth International Conference on the Safe Schools Declaration in Abuja. The summit was aimed to galvanize needed support for the Declaration and to review progress in achieving the various commitments to protect schools and children from further attacks”, she explained.
She added that the engagements and many other issues of financing safe schools were reoccurring for stakeholders.
