….says Tinubu should resign if he can’t provide security
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has kicked against plans by the Federal Government to shut down schools over rising terrorist attacks and kidnappings.
Ini Ememobong, National Publicity Secretary of the party, on Sunday also called on President Bola Tinubu to resign if his administration cannot tackle insecurity.
The main opposition party reminded the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration that the protection of lives and property remains the primary responsibility of any government.
The reaction follows reports that the Federal Government has directed heads of the 41 unity colleges to shut down, in a bid to forestall further abductions of schoolchildren.
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However, the PDP said: “At any time government is unwilling, unable, or incapable of executing this primary role, such a government must either ask for help (locally or internationally) or honourably resign, if it is sincere and responsible.”
The party noted that the country had witnessed a spate of kidnappings in different states — including the abduction of 25 students in Kebbi and 315 students and staff in Niger — which left families and communities in deep sorrow, fear, and anguish.
In response, different state governments in the affected regions adopted varying measures, including the closure of schools.
The PDP stated that contemplating the closure of the 41 federal government colleges amounts to surrendering to terrorists whose aim is to discourage children from pursuing formal education.
“We warn that this closure, if undertaken, like many of this administration’s quick-fix approaches to serious governance issues, will amount to a complete surrender to terrorists, whose sole aim is to shut down schools and prevent children from obtaining formal education, which they declare forbidden. If the schools are closed, the goal of the terrorists would have been inadvertently achieved,” the party said.
The PDP called on the Federal Government to develop a comprehensive security strategy instead of resorting to the simplistic approach of shutting down schools to prevent further kidnappings and score political points.
“This alarm is crucial because, a closure of schools will certainly exacerbate the already challenging educational situation in Northern Nigeria, where, according to UNICEF, the majority of the 18.3 million out-of-school children (10.2 million at the primary level and 8.1 million at the secondary level) in Nigeria reside.
“This data not only paints a grim picture but also mirrors the exact situation in Nigeria. The series of attacks and kidnappings in different states within a week, is indicative of the alarming insecurity that has become the contemporary lived experience and new reality of Nigerians under the APC-led Bola Tinubu government.
“We charge the federal government to immediately fund and implement the National Policy on Safety, Security and Violence-Free Schools anchored on community intelligence and quick security response, capable of anticipating and contending with attacks on schools. Insecurity in schools will be a big disincentivisation for education in the country, especially in Northern Nigeria,” he added.
