The growing insecurity has also triggered outrage among some South-West socio-political, cultural and self-determination groups, which accused governors in the region of complacency and failure to confront the spread of terrorism, banditry and kidnappings across Yoruba land.
Meanwhile, checks on the websites of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and the National Senior Secondary Education Commission (NSSEC) indicate that, as of yesterday, Nigeria has more than 47 million pupils enrolled in basic education and over 5.5 million students in secondary schools.
Stakeholders also noted that the development has grave consequences for the country’s 217,054 public and private schools at both basic and senior secondary levels.
The worsening situation has also sparked growing concerns among education stakeholders, culminating in nationwide protests by members of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), and National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS).
From Oyo, Borno, Lagos, Edo, Akwa Ibom, Kano, Taraba, Ogun, Kwara, Plateau, Kebbi, Niger, Abia to the Federal Capital Territory
(FCT), teachers yesterday, took to the streets to condemn the rising spate of abductions and attacks on schools, while calling on the federal, state governments and security agencies to take urgent and decisive measures to guarantee the safety of learners, teachers, and educational facilities.
The union warned that unless concrete steps are taken to address insecurity, the country’s efforts to improve access to quality education, meet Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 4), which centres on quality education for all, and reduce the number of out-of-school children could suffer a major setback.