The federal government’s allocation of N112 billion through the National Plan for Financing Safe Schools is a commendable step forward, but ensuring the effective and transparent use of these funds is essential to safeguarding our children’s future and achieving meaningful progress.
Development Diaries reports that the Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim, recently announced that the funding is part of efforts to safeguard learning environments over the next three years.
With at least ten million Nigerian children out of school, any mismanagement of funds risks worsening this crisis and undermining efforts to secure education for the nation’s future leaders.
It is important to establish clear reporting mechanisms and oversight structures to track how these funds are deployed and their tangible impact on safeguarding schools.
Children in Nigeria face alarming levels of insecurity in their pursuit of education, with many schools in regions like the northeast and northwest frequently targeted by armed groups.
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), there were 25 attacks on schools in 2021. 1,440 children were abducted, and 16 children were killed.
The UN agency also noted that no fewer than 618 schools were closed in Sokoto, Zamfara, Kano, Katsina, Niger, and Yobe in March 2021 due to the fear of attacks and abduction of pupils and members of staff.
Figures from Save the Children in 2023 show that over 1,680 schoolchildren have been kidnapped in Nigeria since the 2014 Chibok abduction.
Civil society organisations and education stakeholders must be included in oversight processes to ensure these funds deliver on the government’s intended purpose.
Adopting the Child Rights and the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) laws demonstrate Nigeria’s commitment to children’s welfare. However, safeguarding schools requires more than that; it demands actionable measures and accountability in resource utilisation.
Statistics from UNICEF reveal that over 60 percent of Nigerian children experience physical violence before the age of 18, while many endure psychological harm within unsafe school environments.
Allocating resources to improve school infrastructure, train security personnel, and implement emergency response systems is critical, and detailed reporting on these interventions is necessary to restore trust and confidence.
President Bola Tinubu’s administration has committed to creating an environment where every child has access to education, health, and protection from harm. To fulfil this promise, transparency in the disbursement of the N112 billion is nonnegotiable.
Development Diaries calls on the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development to ensure annual progress reports, accessible audits, and platforms for citizen feedback are institutionalised to prevent corruption and ensure equitable distribution of resources across Nigeria’s 36 states.
Photo source: Doug Linstedt
