In furtherance of efforts by the federal government to end the spate of kidnappings and abductions for the ransom of school children, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, (NSCDC), has launched a National School Security and Emergency Response Center to scale up surveillance and protect school children.
Flagging off the centre yesterday in Abuja, Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem Agba, said the government will ensure the prompt release of funds for the financing of the entire safe schools initiative to ensure that children are able to go to school without fear of kidnappings or abductions for ransom.
He said the government is aware that the success of every one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, (SDGs), rests on a safe and secure environment which is why “We must therefore ensure that every child is able to learn in a safe environment where they can get the quality education they need to unlock their full potential and contribute to building a better Nigeria.”
Agba explained that as a follow-up to an earlier commitment by the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, the budgetary allocation has been provided in 2023 to ensure smooth take-off and sustenance of the initiative.
Earlier, Commandant General, NSCDC, associate professor, Ahmed Audi, pointed out that the national school security and emergency centre is the first of its kind in the country and is an initiative under the recently launched female squad of the corps which was set up specially to provide maximum security to schools and curb schools kidnappings among other insecurity affecting schools and keeping children out of the classroom.
According to him, “No nation can attain development in the face of widespread insecurity of lives and property.
Audi said, “soon after the flag-off ceremony, we shall initiate various processes to the stakeholders to validate the Standard Operating Procedure for this project to allow for the smooth operation of the programme in Nigeria.”
