Senate President Ahmad Lawan says persistent attacks and kidnappings by bandits are depriving school children in the north of education, particularly the girl-child.
Lawan said this in Abuja at the first solo exhibition of paintings and photographs by Stephen, son of Senator Binos Dauda Yaroe (Adamawa South).
A number of schools in the northern region have been attacked by bandits and hundreds of students kidnapped.
The latest of such attacks occurred last Thursday in Federal Government College, Birnin Yauri, Kebbi State, where students and three teachers were abducted from the school.
The state government has indefinitely shut down seven schools located on the frontlines of the areas prone to bandit attacks.
Lawan said: “In northern Nigeria, education has always been a problem and it is making it worse with this kind of abduction of students either in Islamiya school or normal secondary school or even in tertiary institutions like it happened in Afaka in Kaduna State, and I believe we should continue to fight this kind of insurgency, the banditry for us to restore normalcy in our country for our country to make progress.”
He said the insecurity plaguing the country was a challenge that must be prioritised and tackled jointly by all tiers of government for results to be realised.
He said: “I want to assure everyone that this administration, the Muhammadu Bihari APC administration, will continue to work hard to bring back security to this country.
“It is a challenge, but I believe that it is for all of us – the Federal, States and, of course, the Local Government and all the communities and ethnic groups across the country.
“This is a situation that needs all hands on deck regardless of what you believe in. We all need to survive first before we achieve any excellence and I believe we can do so well.
“We can reverse the current trend of insecurity in our country. It is a very sad development that our education is suffering especially with so much kidnapping of school children especially the girl child.”
