Nigeria cannot build safe schools in unsafe communities

What the report says

An Al Jazeera opinion piece by Hakeem Najimdeen argues that Nigeria’s Safe Schools Initiative has not gone far enough because it focuses too narrowly on school premises while insecurity persists in surrounding communities. The article is published against the backdrop of a recent abduction in Oyo State, where gunmen seized 39 pupils and six teachers from three schools and held them for 56 days before they were rescued by security forces, according to the publisher.

Najimdeen says the 2014 Chibok abduction pushed Nigeria to create the initiative, which initially covered schools in the northeast and was later expanded nationwide. He notes that the programme is meant to include perimeter fencing, security staff, early-warning systems, support for survivors and other protective measures. However, he argues that implementation has lagged, with many schools still lacking basic security features and some upgrades existing only on paper.

The article also highlights broader concerns raised in Nigeria about funding and oversight. It cites calls for investigations into possible mismanagement of Safe Schools financing and references a parliamentary order for a review of the programme and the national plan. Najimdeen adds that attacks on schools have continued since 2014, forcing some schools in banditry-hit areas to close.

His main point is that school safety cannot be separated from the security, governance and economic conditions around it. He says durable protection will require stronger community security, better early-warning networks, reform of the security sector and sustained investment, rather than walls and gates alone.