Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has criticised the Bola Tinubu administration over reports that schools in about 40 local government areas have been shut due to insecurity.
Atiku described the development as a damning indictment of the Federal Government’s failure to protect Nigerian children and guarantee their right to education.
In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the former vice president questioned the effectiveness of the N144.86 billion National Plan on Financing Safe Schools for 2023–2026, given that schools covered by the initiative are still being forced to close because of attacks by terrorists, bandits and other criminal groups.
“At a time when Nigeria is already battling a severe out-of-school crisis, insecurity is driving even more children from the classroom,” Atiku said.
He questioned how the Safe Schools programme could be considered successful if schools across about 40 local government areas were unable to operate because the government could not guarantee the safety of pupils and teachers.
According to him, the government should publish a comprehensive account of the programme, including the amount of money mobilised and released, agencies and contractors that received funds, schools covered, security infrastructure provided and measurable outcomes achieved.
“Atiku said budgeting money is not the same thing as securing schools, while announcing programmes is not the same thing as protecting children.
“The true measure of a Safe Schools programme is whether our children can actually go to school safely. By that elementary test, the present approach is failing,” he said.
The ADC presidential candidate, however, argued that financial accountability alone would not resolve the security challenges facing schools, calling for a fundamental change in Nigeria’s security architecture.
He said that if elected, his administration would integrate school security into a decentralised, intelligence-led system that places greater emphasis on communities and local intelligence.
According to him, functional early-warning and rapid-response systems would be established around vulnerable schools, while intelligence sharing between communities, schools and security agencies would be strengthened.
He also proposed clearly defined security and emergency-response plans for schools identified as high-risk.
“Local communities know their terrain. They know when unfamiliar people enter their communities and often see the warning signs before Abuja does,” Atiku said.
He added that his administration would ensure that every naira allocated to school security produced measurable results, with Nigerians able to identify the schools protected, infrastructure provided and security formations responsible for responding to threats.
“Safe Schools will be measured by children in classrooms, not billions in government documents,” he said.
Atiku warned that the consequences of insecurity-driven school closures extended beyond education, saying prolonged disruption could expose children to poverty, child labour, early marriage, exploitation and radicalisation.
He described the situation in Borno State as particularly disturbing, citing reports that 36 students and a staff member of Government Day Secondary School, Lassa, in Askira/Uba Local Government Area, were abducted during examinations in late June.
He also referred to reports that 42 pupils remained missing following an attack in Mussa on May 15.
“Atiku said the continued presence of terrorists in areas where schools have been shut amounted to a loss of state authority.
“When terrorists can decide whether Nigerian children go to school, they are exercising authority that belongs to the Nigerian state. That is not merely an education crisis. It is a surrender of state authority,” he said.
He challenged President Tinubu to deploy security forces to forests where terrorists and kidnappers are believed to be operating, rescue abducted children and ensure that their attackers are brought to justice.
The former vice president said intelligence on the whereabouts of terrorists would be of little comfort to affected families unless it translated into concrete action to rescue victims and apprehend criminals.
Atiku further argued that securing schools must form part of a broader national security strategy, with communities empowered to provide intelligence and rapid-response mechanisms activated when threats emerge.
“Our alternative is straightforward: secure the communities, empower local intelligence, protect vulnerable schools, respond rapidly to threats, measure results, and account for every naira,” he said.
He also renewed his demand for the Tinubu administration to account for the N144.86 billion allocated to the Safe Schools programme and explain why schools were still being closed because of insecurity.
“Budgetary allocations are not achievements. Press conferences do not protect children. The only result that matters is that a Nigerian child can leave home for school and return safely,” Atiku said.
He maintained that under his proposed administration, criminals would not be allowed to determine when Nigerian schools open or close.
