A coalition of non-governmental organizations and international donor partners has kicked against the zero allocation in the 2024 budget for the Safe Schools initiative.
The coalition, led by Hon. Inalegwu Adaje, in Abuja on Monday, called on the Tinubu administration to, as a matter of urgency, reconsider the development.
Adaje while addressing the press, called on the leadership of the National Assembly, the Education minister, and the presidency to consider the number of out-of-school children and the effect it will bring to the larger society.
He said Nigeria abandoning these children on the streets will mean breeding another serious problem shortly as that is what the zero allocation in the budget means.
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He said the Safe School Special project was a concerted effort by the international community and the Nigerian government to ensure “a protected and safe learning environment” for learners, teachers, and others in troubled communities across the country, and abandoning it now portends danger to the larger country.
Adaje also called on the minister of finance to disregard the officials of the finance ministry who claim they are yet to be convinced of the significance of the project and see those officials as the enemy of education as the importance of the project cannot be overemphasized.
“Northern Nigeria is bleeding and sinking with over 100 schools in Zamfara, Katsina, and other parts of the North currently shut down due to banditry.
“The Buhari administration initially launched the implementation of the Safe School project which was to run for four years to address the issues of attacks on education, leading to international donor partners showing commitment to the project but that now are discouraged by the attitude of the Tinubu administration towards the financing of education,” he said.
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