Education

Schools kidnapping: CSACEFA calls for deployment NSCDC to safeguard schools

Published

4 years ago

March 22, 2021

The Civil Society Action Coalition on Education for All (CSACEFA) has called on the Federal Government to deploy officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC)to all schools across the country to ensure the safety of students.

Mr Babatunde Omole, National Moderator of the organisation made this known in Abuja on Monday.

Omole noted that the kidnapping of students in Kaduna, Niger, and Zamfara states was avoidable if the security architecture had been effectively mobilized to protect the students.

According to him, we as civil society, advocating for quality education have reasons to worry about the toll and the psychological trauma the insecurity situation is taking on school children.

“ Within a space of five days, Nigeria and the global community witnessed the kidnapping of students in their sleep from two different states.

“In a country that has security forces and architecture and no one has been brought to book.

“This is appalling. It is very disheartening to know that the Federal and State Governments appear insensitive to the plight of these children and school vulnerabilities to insecurity and kidnapping.

“Looking at the serial attacks on school children in the last five days , it is expected that the government if the federation in strong synergy with the states and security architecture must have devised means of keeping children safe in schools.

“What we see however is failure to give hope to the Nigerian child ,that education is the key to solving the numerous challenges in the society Something drastic needs to be done to stem the tide of the menace.

“We therefore called on the federal and state governments to do the needful by deploying officers of the NSCDC to schools for the safety of students.

Omole also called for the need to train community leaders, youths and other relevant stakeholders on security and intelligence gathering.

He added that to enhance the Safe Schools Agenda of the government, be effective perimeter wall fence must be erected in all schools with fortified security posts.

He also said that there was need for investment in modern crime-fighting and crime-preventing technological equipment and hardware in stemming the tide of this menace.

“No government can solve public problems without the public. The Federal and State Governments should involve civil society organisations, especially those working in the thematic area of conflict prevention, control and management, in the generation and analysis of data, intelligence gathering, information sharing, and troubleshooting methodologies.

“We also call on the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu and the state minister, Me Chukuemeka Nwajiuba to rise to the occasion to put an end to incessant kidnapping of students in secondary schools,” he said.

Omole, however, commiserate with the family of the child that was killed while trying to escape from the kidnappers and also felicitated with parents and guardians whose children and wards were returned safely.

NAN

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Education

Tax reform has inimical effect on TETFund, tertiary education – COEASU

Published

2 weeks ago

December 4, 2024

The Gleamer

Mariam Sanni

The Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), has noted with serious concern the inimical effect of the proposed tax reforms of the Federal Government on Tertiary Education in Nigeria.

This is contained in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja by COEASU President, Dr Smart Olugbeko.

According to Olugbeko, the tax reform is a dangerous ambush aimed at destroying public tertiary institutions in Nigeria.

We strongly reject the aspects of the proposed tax administration which aims to withdraw or impede on the source of fund to Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).

” Such injury, if allowed to stand, is bound to undermine the development of public tertiary education in Nigeria.

“TETFund is a brainchild of the struggles of academic staff unions in tertiary institutions led by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

“Prior to the establishment of TETFund, infrastructure in tertiary institutions were in a shambles and government of Nigeria became clueless on the way forward until ASUU came up with a brilliant idea of a trust fund for the education sector,” he said.

Olugbeko expressed concern that no Nigeria government in the last two decades or more had committed up to 9 per cent of the annual budget to education despite the UNESCO recommendation that 26 per cent of the annual budget be dedicated to education.

He added that the aspect of the tax reform that allowed TETFUND to be stifled of its source of Fund would gradually ‘drag tertiary institutions into the stock market making them become capitalistic ventures for the highest bidders’.

“Except for TETFund which has become the spine and lifeblood of public tertiary education funding, Nigerian Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education would have gone comatose.

“TETFund has been playing indispensable and exclusively vital role in the development of tertiary institutions in Nigeria, providing funding for infrastructure, research, teaching and learning facilities as well as staff development,” he added.

The president condermned the attack on TETFund without prejudice to the potential strengths of the proposed tax administration law in expanding the tax base and reinforcing compliance towards economic stimulation.

“Rather than killing TETFund through the purported tax reform, the federal government should strengthen and expand its revenue accrual sources with a view to sustaining the Fund’s commendable efforts in our institutions.”

He called on stakeholders in education including students, parents, educators, the civil society to join hands with the union in rejecting proposal in order to save public tertiary education.

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