The Federal Government has stated that its N15 billion budget for the Safe School Project in the 2023 budget is in the best interest of the country. Hajia Halima Iliya, the National Coordinator of the Safe School Initiative (SSI) at the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget, and National Planning, made this statement during a news conference in Abuja on Tuesday.
Iliya explained that the SSI aims to enable children affected by conflicts and insecurity to continue their education without hindrance. She noted that a national financing plan for the initiative was developed and launched in December 2022. It will be executed between 2023 and 2026, requiring a total investment of N144.8 billion.
The plan outlines budget allocations of N32.58 billion for 2023, N36.98 billion for 2024, N37.15 billion for 2025, and N38.03 billion for 2026. The Federal Government has allocated N15 billion for 2023 as part of this plan.
Iliya emphasized that the plan’s funding will come from annual budgetary allocations from federal, state, and local governments, government interventionist agencies, foreign governments, multilateral institutions, donor partners, businesses, and philanthropists, among others.
The implementation strategy aims to cover 50% of public schools at risk over the medium term (2023-2026). The plan’s goals include building and integrating security-resilient host communities for education protection, strengthening security agencies’ capabilities in detection, deterrence, and response, as well as equipping schools’ security, response, and coordination centers.
The plan’s implementation began in January 2023 with the establishment of the National School Security and Coordination Center led by the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). The Inspector General of Police, Mr. Kayode Egbetokun, will lead a strategic forum on school protection and launch the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for a police special squad for the initiative on Wednesday, as stated by Iliya.
Iliya mentioned that 18 states would initially be covered, with 48 schools from each state. Other states are expected to join the initiative later.
Earlier, the former president signed the Safe School Declaration ratification document, which was endorsed by 118 countries, signifying the country’s commitment to implementation. A technical working committee was established comprising critical agencies such as the Ministry of Education, Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), NSCDC, Department of State Services, and Defence Headquarters. This committee was tasked with developing a national financing plan for the Safe School Initiative.
Dr. Ebenezer Leo, a representative of the NGF, urged the media to raise public awareness about the importance of the school safety initiative and the need for everyone to support the project.
