Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), prof. Ahmed Audi and the Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Sonny Echono during a courtesy visit in Abuja.
Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), prof. Ahmed Audi has lamented the lack of personnel to mount security for over 60,000 porous schools across the country with no form of security presence,
Speaking during courtesy call on the Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) on Thursday in Abuja , Audi said even it is one officer per school, the staff strength is not enough to go round the schools across the country.
He disclosed that Security and Civil Defence Corps did a vulnerability survey of schools in Nigeria and prepared a framework of proactive security measures to be taken towards addressing the dangerous trend of attack on schools in the Country.”
Accordingly, the survey showed that there are 81,545 registered schools in the country, with about 44,297 of this number private schools while 37,248 are government owned/public schools across the 36 States and the FCT.
He noted that out of this figure, 35,112 are located in urban areas while 47,115 are located in rural areas, stressing that the survey further showed that 22,398 schools have perimeter fencing and 58,967 schools are without perimeter fence.
Audi added that the survey further revealed that only about 17,164 schools have a form of physical security presence whose personnel are largely untrained, and about 62,271 schools have no form of security presence.
He said something needed to be urgently done to address this in order to secure the nation’s schools and chase away the kidnappers.
He however said: “As a way of addressing this dangerous trend, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps recommended the kinetic and non-kinetic approach in finding lasting solution to cases of attacks and kidnapping in schools.
He therefore solicited the support of TETFund on the areas of research, school safety and others to enable them function effectively
In his response, the Executive Secretary of TETFund Arc. Sonny Echono expressed profound appreciation for the President’s foresight in appointing a visionary leader to head the NSCDC, acknowledging the vital role the Corps has been playing in maintaining national stability.
“Security is a fundamental pillar for the success of any educational intervention.We recognize the silent, tireless work the NSCDC does to keep this nation safe,” the Executive Secretary remarked.
“TETFund is fully committed to extending a hand of fellowship to the Corps. Through the upcoming MoU, we will not only support your training infrastructure but also engage the NSCDC to provide specialized security training for our own staff,” he said.
Responding to questions on the inclusion of private schools in Tertiary Education Research and Application Service (TERAS) and the Education Tax Law, Echo no said that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been supportive in helping TETFund to achieve its objectives and ensuring that Nigerians get quality education.
“Under this administration, TETFund has experienced more than 100 per cent growth in our funding. Mr. President assured us of that, so we have no reason to doubt him. Before he came on board in 2023, we knew what we were collecting. We knew what we were getting. What we got last year was huge. And what we expect to get this year, also very encouraging. We are not awash with money. Our problems are also increasing exponentially.
“As you are aware, we are setting up new institutions, and we are also expanding our collaboration, including security agents. So you can see that as to whom more is given, more is also expected, and we are doing a lot of that. I’d like to use this opportunity not only to appreciate Mr. President, but the Nigerian public.
