The Team Lead of Youth Advocate for Change, Adeola Ogunlade, has warned against politicising issues that affect the lives and future of innocent children.
He gave this warning in his reaction to the recent abduction of 47 persons, including schoolchildren and their teachers in Oyo State while learning activities were ongoing.
“This is not the time for political point-scoring. It is a time for collective action, responsibility, and compassion. The lives, future, and dreams of these children must remain our highest priority.” He said.
According to Ogunlade, the incident has once again exposed the growing insecurity around educational institutions and raised serious concerns about the safety of children in schools across the country.
He states, “What offence have these children committed in their pursuit of education and their desire to become responsible and productive citizens in the future? Schools are meant to be safe spaces for learning, growth, and development, not places of fear and uncertainty”
Ogunlade states further that the recurring cases of kidnapping involving schoolchildren and teachers have become a national emergency that requires urgent and decisive action.
“While we commend the Federal Government’s commitment to reducing the number of out-of-school children in Nigeria, such efforts may be undermined if schools remain unsafe. Parents will naturally be reluctant to send their children to school when they fear for their safety.”
Nigeria, according to Ogunlade, “already carries the burden of having one of the highest numbers of out-of-school children globally. In addition, the country is grappling with numerous educational challenges, including inadequate school infrastructure, poverty, forced displacement of communities, low learning outcomes, and limited access to digital learning opportunities necessary for children to compete globally.”
He cited communities such as Makoko, where thousands of children dropped out of school following forced evictions. ” “These existing challenges have already placed significant pressure on the education sector.
“The kidnapping of schoolchildren and teachers now represents another major setback and a serious threat to the efforts of government agencies, development partners, and civil society organisations working tirelessly to improve access to education and learning outcomes for Nigerian children.”
Ogunlade then called on the Federal Government to urgently review and strengthen the Safe Schools Initiative Programme to ensure that schools, particularly those in vulnerable and underserved communities, are adequately protected.
He said, “Education remains the foundation of national development and the springboard for building a productive, prosperous, and peaceful society. Any threat to the safety of our educational institutions is a direct threat to the future well-being and progress of our nation.”
He also urges security agencies, governments at all levels, community leaders, and all relevant stakeholders to intensify efforts toward securing the immediate and unconditional release of the abducted children and their teachers.”