In any society, education is key to building and equipping the next generation. This is why in any nation’s yearly budget, a bulk of the funds is dedicated to this important sector. The state of a nation’s educational sector is most times a reflection of its dedication to the youth. Renowned English writer and journalist, G.K. Chesterton once said “Education is simply the soul of a society as it passes from one generation to another.” But, Nigeria seems to be losing that soul and it is putting a lot of school children at risk.
The kidnapping of children, like many other educational problems in Nigeria, is fast becoming a norm. The recent abduction of six students from the Lagos City Model College over two weeks ago has stirred up a lot of controversy. The students were kidnapped around 5.am on the 25th of May, 2017 in their hostels; the unknown kidnappers gained entrance through a creek behind the school. This particular kidnapping occurred barely 7 months after two teachers and four pupils of the same school were kidnapped using that exact passage.
It is very unsettling to think that even after the sad occurrence in Chibok three years ago, the government is still not paying enough attention to the safety of children.
The kidnapping of the Chibok girls in 2014 raised the much needed awareness around the state of education in Nigeria. More than 200 school girls were taken from their dormitories and half of them have not been seen till today. It took the federal government a few weeks to respond to the crisis, because it originally thought it was the “work of the opposition party.” By the time they took action the girls were long gone. The continuous cry for help from the parents of both the Chibok girls and those recently kidnapped offers only a glimpse of the grief they pass through daily.
Just like the parents of the missing girls, parents of the kidnapped Lagos children continued to parade the office of the Lagos state governor, claiming that Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has been silent towards their plight. The parents, who had been in dire straits for weeks, many of whom are middle-income earners that can hardly afford the kidnap ransom, were demanding for justice and they were right to do so. However, the Lagos state government informed the parents last week that the reason it hadn’t released any statement about the kidnappings was because “the government didn’t want to reveal its plan” for dealing with the kidnappers.
The Lagos State Police had earlier announced after the kidnapping that it had started investigations into the kidnap, and had sent operatives into the school and the waterways surrounding the school. “Investigation and rescue operation started with the visit to the affected school by the Police Team led by the Commissioner of Police…From the visit, it was found that the abductors used the Imeru/Oji waterway to access the swamp forest bordering the school” the police statement, released after the kidnap, read. The approach of the security operatives is commendable, since they apprehended another popular kidnapper over the weekend. But what is still surprising is the irresponsibility of the government and its failure to issue an apology for the apathy shown towards the children’s plight, afterall, the government was elected for the people and not the other way around.
That the kidnappings occurred twice within 7 months and in the same school isn’t surprising. Rather, the absence of security operatives in a state-government owned school is just irresponsible. Nigerian authorities don’t seem to care about education in the country; the state of classrooms and education facilities along side the never-ending strike actions are evidence of this fact. In fact, security services are practically non-absent in schools despite the increased spate of threats to the lives of school children.
However, in a country where the education budget is just about 6 percent of its overall budget, much lower than the 26 percent benchmark set by the United Nations, funding security in school is probably another matter. This has been the case for the past few years in Nigeria; little or no attention paid to education by authorities in all government tiers. This lack of interest has been blamed most times on the fact that none of the children of government officials attend Nigerian schools, and so they have no “investment” to protect, and somewhat lack apathy towards the affairs of students in Nigeria.
Bargaining chips for the Government and Boko Haram?
But while the authorities may seem to care less about education, the government definitely cares about re-election. This is why they seem to “finally”care, after some prodding and media bashing; finally coming to the realisation that some of the votes they would need to get re-elected into power would probably come from those whose children have been kidnapped. Kidnappers and terrorists fully understand this, and lately they have been able to specifically target government schools. The media brouhaha after the Chibok girls kidnapping culminating in the #bringbackourgirls hashtag, is evidence that Boko Haram militants are very strategic in their dealings. In recent times they have arranged for the trading of some of the kidnapped school girls for their comrades captured by the Nigerian army.
Thus it is not a shocking revelation that Boko Haram’s menace in the NorthEast in addition to the kidnapping of various school children were the focus of campaign promises by both major parties in Nigeria’s 2015 presidential elections.
The refusal of the government to take charge of this narrative from the onset is baffling and signifies bad leadership. Last week, the kidnappers informed the parents that they wouldn’t be negotiating with them anymore, instead they will speak with the state government (they were probably surprised that they hadn’t heard from the state government either. Recent Reports claim the parents have paid the ransom requested by the kidnappers, the entire 10 million Naira which was demanded. However the government still insists that its security operatives will find the students and would not negotiate with kidnappers. As at today, the state government is yet to release any statement regarding the kidnap, not even a memo from the governor’s office.
In situations like this, Nigerians ask the question “if it was their own children, would the government say that?” Bad news is the government probably does not care. If the Lagos state government could forcefully eject people from their homes like the Otodo Gbame community, it could also turn a deaf ear to the cry of the children’s parents? The senators who could, and should probably pass a bill for more school security or include it in the education budget are yet to do so. But the good news is that Nigerians can make them care, through elections and votes. Nigerians have found out about their collective ability to recall senators, going by how likely the recall of Senator Dino Melaye has become. Flexing their constitutional powers, a right long unknown to them might go a long way in protecting their children.
