Nation
Insecurity: Educationists Harp On Community Intelligence, Non-Conventional Approach
Some educationists have harped on the use of community intelligence and non-conventional approach to tackle the spate of insecurity being witnessed in Nigerian schools.
Prof Oyesoji Aremu, a security scholar at the Institute of Peace and Strategic Studies and Prof Adams Onuka, an education evaluation expert both from University of Ibadan, stated this in separate interviews in Ibadan yesterday.
Aremu said that more than ever before, efforts should be directed to community intelligence and non-conventional approaches to school security. It is also instructive, to take a cue from best practice in other countries.
He said that at this point, governments both Federal and states as well as stakeholders should be more proactive in ensuring school safety.
According to him, it is no longer news that we have a more dangerous problem at hand, the signals of which are endangered to the future of education.
Aremu said that Nigerian schools never had it so bad given the spate of abductions in the last few months.
“While national security took a deep sunk as of 2009, nobody expects schools in Nigeria to witness the scourge of insecurity that is fast eclipsing teaching and learning in some parts of the country.
“Criminals under different appellations now see abductions of school students of different categories as soft targets.
“Given the continued spate of abductions especially in the last few months, Nigeria currently has the world’s highest record of school students abduction-for-ransom cases globally.
“About 2.099 million dollars (N800 million) is reported to have been paid to criminals as ransom between December, 2020 and May, 2021,” he said.
According to him, this shows how school insecurity in the country has become a very ‘lucrative’ business. This obviously portends some grievous implications for the future of school and education in Nigeria.
Aremu noted that there are emerging concerns bothering on the festering internal security challenge, the end of which seems not in sight as a result of the unfortunate dimension of school insecurity.
“Another concern bothers on how the spate of abductions in many schools (including higher institutions) would rub off on out-of-school statistics especially in the North, where there are over 13.2 million out-of-school children (the highest in the world).
“Abductions and kidnappings as being witnessed unabated could lead to some morbid fears among students and pupils, parents and school personnel. This could therefore, bring about a poor attitude to school and schooling activities,” he said.
Onuka, however, stated that the problem now was beyond what the government can handle alone “and if that is the case there is the need for some ‘self help.”
“In the sense that schools, parents and communities should also come together and probably get some funds for vigilante groups to secure the school, apart from putting some other security measures in place.”
He noted that with the spate of insecurity the government was overwhelmed with its financial resources and so, well meaning Nigerians need to collaborate with the government to tackle the present menace.
“People in various communities have to find ways to secure their communities, particularly children who are the future of tomorrow,” Onuka said.
In a statement signed by the Project Coordinator, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, to commemorate the anniversary, HYPREP described the anniversary as a significant milestone in Nigeria’s environmental restoration efforts, noting that the project has made remarkable progress in implementing the recommendations of the landmark UNEP report released on August 4, 2011.
The UNEP report had revealed extensive oil pollution across Ogoniland, severe environmental degradation, and serious public health risks resulting from decades of petroleum operations. It also recommended an initial $1 billion fund to commence the cleanup of the affected communities.
According to HYPREP, the Federal Government formally launched the Ogoni clean-up in 2016, while the Project Coordination Office was established in 2017 to drive the implementation of UNEP’s recommendations.
Zabbey said the current administration has continued to prioritise the project under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Providing an update on the cleanup, the Project Coordinator disclosed that 30 of the 65 contaminated sites identified by UNEP have been fully remediated, while work is ongoing at several medium- and high-risk locations. It also stated that more than 1.5 million mangrove seedlings have been planted as part of what it described as the world’s largest restoration of oil-degraded mangroves, with over 1,000 hectares of shoreline already rehabilitated.
Zabbey further revealed that 49 Ogoni communities have been connected to potable water schemes through multiple water projects and booster stations aimed at providing safe drinking water across the region.
In the health sector, he said the 100-bed Ogoni Specialist Hospital in Kpite and the 43-bed Cottage Hospital in Buan are nearing completion, adding that several existing health facilities have been upgraded with modern medical equipment, while five ambulances have been donated to improve emergency healthcare services. The Project Coordinator also disclosed that a three-year human health biomonitoring study is being conducted in collaboration with the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
On economic empowerment, Zabbey stated that the Project has created more than 8,000 direct jobs and trained thousands of Ogoni youths and women in various vocational and technical skills, including software development, cybersecurity, aviation, commercial diving, seafaring, mechatronics, and creative arts. The project also reported awarding scholarships to more than 1,000 students, providing grants to small businesses, and supporting persons living with special needs through skills acquisition programmes.
The statement further highlighted ongoing legacy projects, including the Ogoni Power Project and the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration, which it said is about 96 per cent complete. HYPREP also welcomed the recent designation of the Ogoni Wetland as a Ramsar Site of International Importance and pledged to continue promoting biodiversity conservation and sustainable management of the ecosystem.
Marking the anniversary, Zabbey said the progress achieved over the past 15 years demonstrates the collective commitment of government, development partners, stakeholders, and local communities to restoring Ogoniland. He called for renewed collaboration to sustain the cleanup effort, promote environmental sustainability, and support the long-term development of the region. 3