.IGP launches school protection squad today

Federal Government plans to spend N144.8 billion to safeguard schools in the six geopolitical zones of the country between 2023 and 2026.

National Coordinator, Safe Schools Initiative, Halima Ibrahim, disclosed this at a press conference in Abuja, yesterday, saying the budget followed a national plan on financing safe schools that was developed and launched in December 2022.

“The national plan will be implemented between 2023 and 2026 with a total investment size of N144.8 billion. The plan proposes N32.58 billion in 2023, N36.98 billion in 2024, N37.15 billion in 2025, and N38.03 billion in 2026, respectively. To this end, the Federal Government made provision of N15 billion in 2023,” she explained.

Ibrahim noted that funding of the plan is through yearly budgetary provisions from federal, state and local councils, government interventionist agencies, foreign government and multilateral institutions, businesses and philanthropists and donor partners.

She said implementation strategy of the plan aims to cover 50 per cent of the most at-risk public schools between 2023 and 2026.

Focus of the plan includes building and integrating security-resilient host communities; strengthening detection, deterrence and response capabilities of security agencies; and equipping schools’ security response and coordination.

Implementation of the plan commenced in January 2023 with flag-off of the National School Security and Coordination Centre by the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corp, which is the lead agency for protection of schools and government’s critical assets.

This came as Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, will, today, hold a strategic forum on protection of schools and other learning places in Nigeria, and launch the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Police Special Squad for Safe Schools.

Ibrahim said attacks on schools and other places of learning influenced setting up of the initiative.

According to her, “in recent times, the nation has been faced with the challenge of incessant attacks on our schools by extremists, bandits and kidnappers. In addressing these concerns, the Federal Government launched the Safe Schools Initiative, which aimed to enable children affected by conflict and insecurity continue their education unhindered.”