The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has warned against closure of schools in the awake of abduction of school children in Kebbi and Niger States, and said it would amount to a complete surrender to terrorists.
PDP National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong at a press conference in Abuja on Sunday, argued that if the schools were closed, the goal of the terrorists would have been inadvertently achieved.
“We are aware that the closure of schools in these areas is already being implemented by some state governments and is currently being contemplated by the Federal Government,” the party stated.
PDP advised that rather than closing the schools, the Federal Government should develop a comprehensive plan to combat the issue.
“This alarm is crucial because, a closure of schools will certainly exacerbate the already challenging educational situation in Northern Nigeria, where, according to UNICEF, the majority of the 18.3 million out-of-school children (10.2 million at the primary level and 8.1 million at the secondary level) in Nigeria reside,” PDP said.
According to the party, this data not only paints a grim picture but also mirrors the exact situation in Nigeria.
It described the series of attacks and kidnappings in different states within a week, as indicative of the alarming insecurity that has become the contemporary lived experience and new reality of Nigerians under the All Progressives Congress (APC) led Federal Government.
PDP noted that while different state governments in the affected region have taken disparate measures, the Federal Government has yet to give any direction.
It expressed worry that whenever these unfortunate incidents happen, President Bola Tinubu’s “response is usually lacklustre and unemphatic,” stating that instead of the president visiting Kebbi and Niger States to meet and sympathise with the parents of the children who are in captivity, and to address the security personnel there, he merely directed the Minister of State for Defence to relocate to Kebbi.
“This reaction is most insensitive and dismissive of the gravity of the problem by the APC-led Federal Government,” the party said.
It called for the funding and Implementation of the National Policy on Safety, Security and Violence-Free Schools, “anchored on community intelligence and quick security response, capable of anticipating and contending with attacks on schools.”
PDP warned that insecurity in schools would be a big disincentivisation for education in the country, especially in Northern Nigeria, and reminded President Tinubu and the APC-led administration that the security of lives and property is the primary function of any government.
“At any time, government is unwilling, unable, or incapable of executing this primary role, such a government, must either ask for help (locally or internationally) or honourably resign, if it is sincere and responsible,” PDP added.
