By Ozioma Onyenweaku
Come October 25th TO 27th 2021, Nigeria will play host to the 4th Conference on Safe Schools. The Conference will hold in Abuja, the Capital of Nigeria. It has been stated that the Conference aims at providing an opportunity for countries that have committed to the Safe Schools Idea “to galvanize action on protecting education in armed conflict by taking stock of progress by States in endorsing and implementing the Safe Schools Declaration, sharing good practice in advancing the commitments in the Declaration, and encouraging greater collaboration across borders to ensure that all students and educators can learn and teach in safety.”
The 1st International Conference on Safe Schools was held in May 2015 in Oslo, Norway. The 2nd Conference was held in Argentine Republic in March 2017. The aim of the 2nd Conference was to further build upon the development of a global community dedicated to protecting education in armed conflict. The 3ed Conference on Safe Schools was hosted by the government of Spain in May 2019. This year, Nigeria, the giant of Africa, has the honour tto host the 4th.Conference.
Recall that I had in earlier article explained that the Safe Schools Declaration is an international commitment that advocates support for protection of students, teachers and schools during armed conflict. The Safe Schools Declaration emerged from The Third International Conference on Safe Schools hosted by the government of Spain with the support of governments of Argentina and Norway held in Oslo Norway in May 2015. It aims at strengthening the global resolve to end attacks on students, teachers and schools by armed conflicts. By 2019, 100 Countries had signed and ratified the Declaration. Nigeria is one. As at date, 2021, 109 countries have endorsed the declaration.
It was on 20th March 2019 that the President of Nigeria ratified the Safe Schools Declaration. By signing the Declaration, Nigeria made a public declaration that attacks on schools has become unacceptable to the country. And by ratifying the said Declaration, Nigeria has declared that it is bound to keep all the principles of the declaration, and ensure to put in place a national policy to guide the implementation of the Declaration nationwide to protect children from attacks in schools and ensure their education continues without hindrance at all times.
There have been hues and hisses here and there over the choice of Nigeria as a host. Understandably, isn’t it? This is given the fact that attacks on schools in Nigeria has become more of a weekly affair. Just last week over 100 students were abducted from school in Kaduna. The students are yet to be rescued.
Recall that four years after the abduction of the Chibok girls, and precisely in February 2018, about 110 school girls, ages of 11 & 19, were kidnapped from Government Girls Science & Technical College, Dapchi in Yobe State. Two of the girls were found dead; while 104 were freed after the payment of ransom.
On 11 March 2021 armed Gunmen attacked Federal College of Forestry Mechanization Afaka, Igabi LGA Kaduna State and kidnapped 39 students just weeks after attack in Jangebe Zamfara State. The abductors killed about three of the students to pressurize the parents to pay ransom and rescue the rest of the students.
It is for this reason that some people have queried how a government that cannot protect the schools from attack would host a Conference on Safe Schools. Come to think of it, it could be a blessing in disguise. It could be an awakening call to Nigeria to brace up to its responsibility under the Safe Schoosl Declaration.
From the conference Nigeria could learn one or two ideas on how to tackle the insecurity and ensure safe schools in Nigeria. Recall that the highlights of the Conference include developing and sharing examples of good practices for protecting schools during armed conflicts; to offer guidance on concrete measures that armed forces and armed non-state actors can take to reduce risk of attacks, and protect educational facilities; it also provides for exchange of ideas on how to protect education and schools from attack.
The Conference, if well utilized, could impact positively on the way forward in keeping Nigerian schools safe. I am quite optimistic, you know.
I already can see a silver lining in this direction. Possibly in preparation for the Conference, and to have something to show as what it has done in implementing the principles of the Safe schools Declaration, Nigeria has, on 14th July 2021, seen to the launch of Rapid Response Squad of NSCDC. This is said to be “to intensify surveillance and patrol for schools safety… a deliberate strategy to support the Safe Schools Initiatives”
Who says Nigerian government cannot take action when it wants to?
