By Tony Obiechina, Abuja
The Federal government plans to spend about N144 billion for the implementation of Safe Schools Financing Initiative between 2023 and 2026.
A breakdown of the figure showed that
N32.58 bilion will be spent in 2023; N36.98 bilion in 2024; N37.15 bilion in 2025, and N38.03 blion in 2026.
National Co-ordinator of the Safe Schools Financing Initiative, Halima Iliya Ibrahim who disclosed this at press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, said the Federal Government has already provided the sum of N15 bilion in the 2023 budget for the implementation.
She also disclosed that funding of the Plan is through Annual Budgetary provisions from Federal, States and Local Governments, Government Interventionist Agencies, Foreign Governments and Multilateral Institutions, Businesses and Philanthropists, Donors Partners and others.
According to her, the implementation strategy aims to cover 50% of the most at risk public schools over the medium term 2023-2026, adding that the plan will focus on achieving some milestones, including building and integrating security resilient host communities in the protection of education.
Ibrahim also listed other strategies to include strengthening the detection, deterrence, and response capabilities of the security agencies, equipping the school security, response and coordination centres in Abuja and States respectively as well as regular engagements and policy advocacy with the Nigerian public and key government officials.
“Another success in line with the Federal Ministry of Finance Budget and National Planning “National Plan on Financing Safe Schools in Nigeria” the lnspector General of Police Mr. Kayode Egbetokun is holding a Strategic Forum on the Protection of Schools and other Learning Places in Nigeria and the Lunching of the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the Police Special Squared for Safe Schools on the 9th August 2023″, Halima Ibrahim further disclosed.
National Plan on Financing Safe Schools, an initiative of the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning was developed and launched in December, 2022.
The implementation of the Plan commenced in January 2023 with the Flag-off of the National School Security and Coordination Centre by the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corp being the Lead Agency for the Protection of Schools and Government Critical assets. READ ALSO:
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On 31st December 2019, Former President Muhammadu Buhari formaly signed “the Safe Schools Declaration Ratification Documents” which has been endorsed by 118 countries signaling Nigeria’s commitment to implementation.
This was followed by a High-Level Forum in April 2021 convened by the immediate past Minister for Finance, Budget and National Planning Mrs Zainab Ahmed in partnership with Emergency Coordination Center (ECC) on Financing Safe Schools in Nigeria, to chart a way forward in addressing attacks on education.
Then, on 25-27th October 2021, Nigeria hosted the Fourth International Conference on the Safe Schools Declaration in Abuja. The summit was aimed to galvanize needed support for the Declaration and to review progress in achieving the various commitments to protect schools and children from further attacks.
During these engagements and many others, issues of financing safe schools were reoccurring for stakeholders. To address these concerns on a holistic and sustainable basis by providing funding mechanism, in January 2022, the immediate past Minister of Finance HMFBNP approved the seting up of the Financing Safe Schools, Secretariat/Unit for planning and coordinating Safe Schools activities.
A technical Committee was constituted, whose members were drawn from critical agencies Ministry of Education, Nigerian Govenors Forum, Nigerian Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Core, Department of States Services and Defence Headquarters saddle with the responsibility to develop a National Plan on Financing Safe School.
