A survey on the implementation of the federal government’s Safe School Initiative in Kogi, Niger and Nasarawa has revealed mixed outcomes.

The survey showed that Kogi recorded significant progress through government investments and security collaboration, while Niger was grappling with inadequate security infrastructure. Stakeholders in Nasarawa commended the initiative and urged wider implementation.

The Kogi government reaffirmed its commitment to providing safe and conducive learning environments.

It said it was working closely with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and other security agencies to fully achieve the initiative’s objectives.

The commissioner for education, Wemi Jones, said that the state government had taken proactive measures to protect students from attacks and abductions by collaborating with conventional and local security agencies.

He said that, beyond the Safe School Initiative, the state government had commenced renovations to 728 public schools under the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) programme.

According to him, the intervention includes perimeter fencing, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities and other infrastructure aimed at improving the learning environment.

Mr Jones described the programme as a milestone in the state’s education transformation agenda, adding that quality education depended on safe, inclusive and functional school infrastructure.

He further said that many public schools, having existed for decades, required urgent rehabilitation to meet modern educational standards.

The Kogi AGILE project coordinator, Tijani Oricha, said the programme was designed to improve teaching and learning outcomes while strengthening school systems across the state.

He said 30 contractors were mobilised to commence work on 150 schools in the first phase of the project.

Mr Oricha assured that implementation would be closely monitored to ensure transparency, quality delivery and value for money.

Also speaking, the Safe School Initiative desk officer, NSCDC, Kogi State command, Hamid Momoh, said all public and private schools in the state were covered under the initiative.

He said this enhanced the safety of students, teachers and education facilities.

Mr Momoh said the command had deployed divisional desk officers to conduct security sensitisation and campaigns across primary, secondary and tertiary institutions.

Furthermore, he said personnel carried out regular patrols and surveillance, particularly in communities considered vulnerable to security threats.

He said NSCDC, as the lead agency responsible for protecting schools and other critical national assets, had strengthened its collaboration with host communities to encourage the timely sharing of intelligence to prevent attacks on educational institutions.

According to him, the National Safe School Response Coordination Centre at the NSCDC National Headquarters in Abuja receives security alerts from schools, coordinates rapid responses and deploys the nearest security formations whenever threats are reported.

Mr Momoh said the initiative combined kinetic and non-kinetic security strategies, including regular patrols, stakeholder engagement and community participation.

He said schools had also been encouraged to provide perimeter fencing, install closed-circuit television cameras and deploy conventional and non-conventional security personnel to improve security.

He further said that all schools were directed to register with the Security Ecosystem Map to enhance monitoring, coordination and implementation of the Safe School Initiative nationwide.

Mr Momoh, however, noted that issues relating to funding of the initiative were handled by the Safe School Desk at the NSCDC national headquarters in Abuja.

Some principals of beneficiary schools commended the initiative, saying it had strengthened collaboration between schools and security agencies while improving security awareness among staff and students.

The principal of Government Science Secondary School, Lokoja, Ojapa Ajayi, said the school benefited from improved perimeter fencing under the AGILE programme and had recorded no security breaches since the intervention.

He said that teachers and students were trained on vigilance through the `See Something, Say Something` campaign, while internal surveillance teams regularly monitored activities within the school.

Mr Ajayi, however, appealed for more regular patrols by the police and vigilante groups around schools.

A teacher at the school, Ojo Olanrewaju, described the school as safe but advocated the deployment of dedicated security personnel and the provision of emergency communication channels.

The principal of Holy Trinity Local Government Secondary School, Sani Yunusa, said members of staff had recently participated in a three-day security seminar organised by the secondary school board.

Also, the vice principal, Usman Yakubu, said collaboration among the school, the community, and the Parents and Teachers Association (PTA) had strengthened security by engaging vigilante groups and implementing strict access controls for visitors.

Students interviewed expressed confidence in the safety of their schools.

In Niger, stakeholders called for renewed efforts to strengthen the implementation of the Safe School Initiative, expressing concern over inadequate security infrastructure in many public schools.

Some principals and parents said that although the initiative was commendable, more needed to be done to safeguard schools across the state.

School administrators in Borgu and Agwara council areas said that many public schools remained vulnerable to security threats due to inadequate protective infrastructure, including the absence of perimeter fencing and security personnel.

Findings from visits to schools in Minna, Lemu, the headquarters of Gbako council area, and Bida also showed that several schools lacked basic security facilities needed to safeguard students, teachers and school property.

Parents said it was unfortunate that even schools located in insecure communities operated without perimeter fencing or security guards, leaving them exposed to unauthorised access and other security threats.

Some school principals said they had continued to rely on PTA-collected levies to provide minimal security for their schools.

According to them, the meagre funds generated through PTA contributions were used to employ night watchmen to guard school premises after school hours, while no security personnel were available during the day to protect teachers, students and school facilities.

Another school administrator said that the absence of perimeter fencing had made schools susceptible to trespass, vandalism and other security threats, stressing that both learners and staff remained exposed despite ongoing efforts to improve safety.

Parents also expressed concern over what they described as inadequate security arrangements in public schools.

Usman Garba, a parent from Mutun-Daya Community in Shiroro council area, said residents of insecurity-affected communities were willing to support government efforts to protect schools if given the necessary approval.

The residents, therefore, urged the Niger government and relevant agencies to prioritise investment in school security infrastructure, particularly in rural and border communities where schools face greater security challenges.

They maintained that ensuring school safety was critical to sustaining enrolment, improving attendance, and guaranteeing uninterrupted teaching and learning across the state.

NSCDC’s spokesman in Niger, Abubakar Rabiu-Muti, said the command had intensified efforts to strengthen school security across the state.

Mr Rabiu-Muti said that to address the challenge of inadequate security personnel, school administrators, teachers, students and pupils were given security tips and proactive measures to adopt in the event of any security breach.

He said the command had also sensitised school administrators on the need to engage the services of licensed private security companies, install CCTV cameras and ensure that schools were completely fenced.

In Nasarawa, a cross-section of stakeholders commended the federal and state governments for implementing the Safe School Initiative. They described it as a timely intervention aimed at protecting teachers, students and educational facilities from attacks and kidnappings.

The stakeholders, comprising parents, teachers, students and union leaders, made the commendation in separate interviews in Lafia.

They described the initiative as a critical response to growing security concerns around schools, particularly in rural and border communities where incidents of abduction and vandalism had heightened fears among parents.

The chairman of the National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN) in Nasarawa, David Anyuabuga, said the programme had begun restoring confidence in the education sector.

Mr Anyuabuga, however, identified gaps in the initiative’s implementation and urged increased budgetary allocation, improved infrastructure, and greater community participation to ensure that all schools benefited from the programme.

Aisha Musa, a parent, said the initiative had reduced parents’ anxiety.

“For us as parents, knowing that the government is paying attention to school security gives us peace of mind. However, we want to see these measures extended to every school, not just a few,” she said.

A senior secondary school student, Emmanuel Ogah, said the presence of security personnel was reassuring.

“Before now, many of us were afraid, especially during closing hours and at night. Now we feel much safer because of the security measures in place,” he said.

Also, Habiba Kabiru, a teacher, called for the deployment of more trained security personnel, the establishment of functional emergency response lines, and regular safety drills for teachers and students.

“We need the government to release funds promptly, involve host communities more actively and ensure the sustainability of the Safe School Initiative,” she said.

(NAN)