Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC) has rallied the media to hold the government accountable for the safety and security of schools across Nigeria through the passage of the Safe School Declaration (SSD) Bill into law.
At a high-level roundtable for media executives recently, the Co-ordinator, of the Safe School Project, Mrs. Jennifer Nwokedike said that the project was aimed to ensure that schools in Nigeria, especially in areas at risk, would be safe and protected internally and externally.
Nwokedike said that the roundtable, which was organised in collaboration with the United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF), West Africa Network for Peacebuilding Nigeria (WANEP), the National Human Rights Commission, the International Press Centre (IPC), and other partners, is aimed at increasing public awareness about SSD and the importance of implementing safe school policies in Nigeria.
She added that the essence of the project was to ensure that children could continue to access education without fear of violence or attack.
‘We have made significant progress, including increasing public awareness of SSD and developing a framework for its actualisation.
‘The project has successfully increased awareness of SSD, particularly in Lagos State, Bauchi and Abuja.
‘Also, a framework has been developed to help actualise SSD in Nigeria by strengthening partnerships among relevant stakeholders to ensure the implementation of SSD’, she further said.
On the progress of SSD Bill, Nwokedike said that the bill is in its final stage at the Bauchi State House of Assembly and awaiting presentation at its Lagos State counterpart.
The bill has gone through readings at the Bauchi State House of Assembly and is at the final stage of being passed.
‘Likewise, the bill is awaiting presentation to the Lagos State House of Assembly’, she added.
WARDC’s Director of Operation, Mrs. Mary George-Peluola said that the meeting was aimed at highlighting major safety concerns in schools.
She said that the roundtable was also to strategise for effective advocacy and develop plans for collaborative actions, particularly the role of the media in promoting safe school initiatives.
A Deputy Director of Research at the National Human Rights Commission, Mrs. Uche Okwuobi commended the media contributions and commitment to the fundamental Human rights of education of every Nigerian child.
She added that schools that are safe enhanced the rights of every Nigerian child and that the gross continuous attacks on schools violated children’s rights.
Okwuobi said: ‘These attacks do not only disrupt the education of the children but also inflict lasting psychological trauma on them, their families and communities’.
WANEP’s National Network Coordinator, Dr. Bridget Osakwe said that schools should be sanctuaries, not places of fear.
Osakwe, who was represented by the Head of Programmes of WANEP, Mrs. Patience Obaulo, said that the issues, including violent attacks, bullying, drug abuse and kidnapping, had made many Nigerian schools unsafe for students and teachers.
‘A safe learning environment enhances academic performance, reduces student dropout, promotes social and emotional development, and encourages peaceful co-existence’, she said.
Highlighting abduction, she said that, within the past three administrations, the abduction of schoolchildren generated millions in Naira in ransom for kidnappers. ‘From the former President, Goodluck Jonathan to Muhammad Buhari and now, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, more than 2000 young persons have been kidnapped since 2014 till date’, Obaulo recalled.
She added that ‘the Safe School Initiative promotes the protection of young persons from violence, exposure to weapons and threats, theft, bullying and the sale of illegal substances within the school premises. Safe School ensures that every young person is offered a safe place to learn, play and realise their full potential’.
The Executive Director of IPC, Dr. Lanre Arogundade tasked media professionals to hold duty bearers to prioritise the safety and security of schools across the country. He said that practical actions are needed to address the issue.
Arogundade suggested a multi-stakeholder approach involving state security forces, federal forces, community leaders, traditional rulers and other stakeholders. He said that solutions to the problem would vary across different parts of the country, requiring tailored approaches.
He stressed the need for collaboration between security agencies, adding: ‘We need to see practical actions – involvement of community leadership, traditional rulers’, Arogundade said.
He further said that ‘governments need to commit resources to ensure school safety and security and develop solutions to address specific challenges’.
