Stakeholders begin validation of bill on safe schools in Nigeria

Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC) and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), have embarked on a review of the draft legislation on the Safe Schools Declaration (SSD), in Nigeria.

Founding Director, WARDC, Dr Abiola Akiyode-Abiola, said that the passage and implementation of a legal framework to protect schools and end school attacks in Nigeria very important with current challenges facing education safety in Nigeria.

She made this known at an Expert Meeting to Validate the Draft Legislation on the Safe Schools Declaration by in WARDC, NHRC and the United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF), in Abuja.

According to her, “the right to safe and violence-free education will not only become an issue of development, but also an issue of human right with the resultant adoption of the SSD legal framework and passage of the SSD Law by the National Assembly. It will enable citizen’s groups to hold governments and others to account for their commitments, empowering people to advocate for rights related to education.”

Executive Secretary, NHRC, Dr Tony Ojukwu, noted that “the draft bill among others encompasses several key elements including establishment of a National Safe School and Security Coordinating Council, establishment of school safety and security emergency response plans and security measures.

“The development of a robust legal framework for the Safe Schools’ Declaration, (SSD), is the result of extensive research and consultation,” he said. The draft legislation is designed to provide the necessary protection and mechanisms to ensure the safety of our schools and the rights of the Nigerian child regardless of their location and circumstances,” he said.