Kidnappings: Schools’ Shut Down, Short Term Solution – NGWF

BY TEMI OHAKWE, ABUJA – First Ladies under the aegis ‘Northern Governors’ Wives Forum (NGWF) have said that shutting down of schools in the region remained only but a short-term solution to protecting the children from Banditry.

Throwing its weight behind the closure of schools in insecurity-prone areas to protect children in the vulnerable areas of the country, the NGWF insisted that the abduction of children from various schools has become a source of huge concern in the country, especially given the growing number of many out-of-school kids.

“They closed all the schools as a short-term solution. It cannot be sustained that way because we must get our children to school. But, as it is now, it is important to keep our children safe. This is because it doesn’t make sense to say that because you want your children educated you put them at risk.”

The Governors’ Wives made their position known in Abuja during an interactive session with Journalists during which they unveiled their agenda for 2022, even as they noted that closure of schools in the North cannot be sustained.

The elected Chairperson of the NGWF, who is the wife of Kaduna State Governor, Architect Hadiza El-Rufai, said the long-term strategy to addressing the kidnapping of children from schools would eventually end banditry and defeat them.

She said that the priority, for now, is to protect the children while alternative learning is organised for them, stressing that kidnapping of children from school is a source of concern to all of them especially in a country where there are so many children out of school.

According to her; “But talking about the short term measure, as a short term basis, yes but not a permanent solution”, adding; “I believe that the government is doing all it can to see that these bandits are defeated once and for all.”

The NGWF Chairperson further said; “The long-term strategy was to defeat the bandits so that our children could go to school without feeling any danger by dealing with the bandits because the country could not continue this way.

“I think it is what the state governments are already doing like in Kaduna state and recently in Zamfara state, they have closed all the schools. That is a short-term solution but it cannot be sustained because we must get our children to school. But as it is now, it is important to keep our children safe.

“So, it doesn’t make sense to say that because you want your children educated, you put them at risk. I believe that the government is doing all it can to see that these bandits are defeated once and for all,” she said.

Also speaking, the Vice-Chairperson of the Forum and wife of the Kwara state governor, Ambassador Olufolake AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, said the aim of the interactive session was to bring journalists on board with regards to the agenda of the Forum in the next year.

The two focal areas for the Northern Governors’ Wives Forum NGWF are Gender-Based Violence and tackling Drug Abuse in the 19 northern forums.

“Although children learn on radio, online, and other platforms while at home, we have discovered that grassroots sports is also keeping children engaged and off the streets,” Ambassador AbdulRazaq said.

She called on all stakeholders, especially men, to continue to help in championing an end to sexual and gender-based violence, adding that the forum would continue to honour men who supported gender equality.

The Kwara first lady said that part of the aim of the interactive session with newsmen was for them to have a buy-in into the activities of the forum in the area of advocacy carried out around children and youths.

This, she said, was so that people could be well informed about the forum’s activities, especially related to gender-based violence so that they could know what to do and where to go when they were faced with the challenge.

Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Social Investments, Maryam Uwais, said that it was important for the Federal Government to work with the NGWF to address the plight of children, noting that the government was presently running a project aimed at addressing the issues of at-risk children and youths.

Uwais explained that the project aimed at getting the states to lead, to ensure that children and youths at risk got into safe spaces.

“We are collaborating with the governor’s wives and other stakeholders to select 50 young educated, but unemployed youths in every local government. They will be paid N30,000, which is the minimum wage, to build their capacity and create jobs for them.

”We will empower them to mentor and monitor the young children and guide those that are out of school to return to school and remain in school”, Uwais said. – With NAN reports