{"id":1981,"date":"2026-08-05T07:30:12","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T07:30:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?p=1981"},"modified":"2026-08-05T07:30:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T07:30:12","slug":"nigeria-cannot-build-safe-schools-in-unsafe-communities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?p=1981","title":{"rendered":"Nigeria cannot build safe schools in unsafe communities"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"article-info m--t-20 m--desktop-b-30 m--b-mobile-20\">\n<div class=\"byline byline--single-avatar\">\n<div class=\"avatars-container\"><a class=\"avatar\" aria-hidden=\"true\" href=\"\/author\/hakeem-najimdeen\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"responsive-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Hakeem-Photo-BW-1783504376.jpg?resize=96%2C96&amp;quality=80\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"byline-content\">\n<div class=\"contributors-list contributors-list--byline\"><span class=\"contributors-list__by-prefix\">By <\/span><a href=\"\/author\/hakeem-najimdeen\">Hakeem Najimdeen<\/a><\/div>\n<p class=\"author-title-or-tagline\">CEO of Alafarika for Studies and Consultancy, Nigeria.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-dates\">\n<div class=\"date-simple\"><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Published On 5 Aug 2026<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"true\">5 Aug 2026<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-share\" data-testid=\"rich-share\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__divider\">\n<div class=\"listen-to-article\"><button class=\"listen-to-article__button\" data-testid=\"listen-to-article-button\"><title>Listen<\/title>Listen (6 mins)<\/button><\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-share__update-reading-list-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"update-reading-list\">\n<p class=\"update-reading-list__button-text\">Save<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-share__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__button-wrapper\"><button class=\"rich-share__button row\" aria-expanded=\"false\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"screen-reader-text\">Click here to share on social media<\/div>\n<p><title>share-nodes<\/title><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"rich-share__social-text\">Share<\/p>\n<div class=\"rich-share__links rich-share__links--row\" data-testid=\"share-links\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__social rich-share__social--row\"><a class=\"rich-share__social-link row\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" aria-label=\"Share on Facebook\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2Ffzbd5o\"><title>facebook<\/title><\/a><a class=\"rich-share__social-link row\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" aria-label=\"Share on Twitter\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Nigeria%20cannot%20build%20safe%20schools%20in%20unsafe%20communities&amp;source=sharethiscom&amp;related=sharethis&amp;via=AJEnglish&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2Ffzbd5o\"><title>x<\/title><\/a><a class=\"rich-share__social-link row u-hidden--desktop\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" aria-label=\"Share on Whatsapp\" href=\"\/\/send?text=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2Ffzbd5o\"><title>whatsapp-stroke<\/title><\/a><a class=\"rich-share__social-link row copylink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" aria-label=\"Copy link\" href=\"https:\/\/aje.news\/fzbd5o\"><title>copylink<\/title><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"google-preferred-source\"><button class=\"google-preferred-source__button\" aria-label=\"Add Al Jazeera on Google\" data-testid=\"google-preferred-source-button\"><title>google<\/title><span class=\"google-preferred-source__text\">Add Al Jazeera on Google<\/span><\/button><button aria-label=\"See more of Al Jazeera\u2019s trusted journalism by adding us as a preferred source on Google.\" class=\"tooltip-accessible_trigger\"><title>info<\/title><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-featured__media\">\n<figure class=\"article-featured-image\">\n<div class=\"responsive-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/000_93X4B8.jpg?resize=770%2C513&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"\"><\/div><figcaption>This photograph shows a deserted classroom at the Government Girls Secondary School, the day after the abduction of over 300 schoolgirls by gunmen in Jangebe, a village in Zamfara State, northwest of Nigeria on February 27, 2021. [Kola Sulaimon \/ AFP]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wysiwyg wysiwyg--all-content\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p style=\"font-weight:400\">\u201cI am profoundly happy,\u201d Nigerian President Bola Tinubu <a href=\"\/news\/2026\/7\/10\/dozens-of-abducted-schoolchildren-and-teachers-rescued-in-nigeria\">said<\/a> after security forces rescued 39 pupils and six teachers who had spent 56 days in captivity. Gunmen had <a href=\"\/news\/2026\/5\/19\/gunmen-abduct-39-students-7-teachers-in-attacks-on-nigeria-schools\">abducted them<\/a> from three schools in the Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State on May 15.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight:400\">Their rescue brought immense relief. But it also exposed a deeper failure: More than 12 years after the Chibok abduction prompted Nigeria to make schools safer, dozens of pupils and teachers could still be seized from their schools and held for nearly two months.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended recommended__loading\">\n<div class=\"loading-cards\" data-testid=\"loading-cards\">\n<div class=\"loading-card keep-reading\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"font-weight:400\">On April 14, 2014, Boko Haram <a href=\"\/features\/2024\/4\/14\/nigerias-chibok-girls-kidnapping-10-years-later-a-struggle-to-move-on\">abducted<\/a> 276 schoolgirls from Chibok in Borno State in northeastern Nigeria. The attack captured the world\u2019s attention and became a defining moment in Nigerian history. It led the United Nations, global business leaders and the Nigerian government to launch the Safe Schools Initiative (SSI) the following month, initially covering 500 schools in the northeastern states.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight:400\">The Oyo abduction, therefore, did more than bring school safety back to the top of the national agenda. It raised serious questions about what the initiative has achieved and whether protecting school grounds alone can keep children safe while a lack of security continues beyond them.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight:400\">On paper, SSI provides for school perimeter fencing, access control and enhanced security infrastructure as well as local guards and security personnel, community-based early-warning systems, the relocation of at-risk students to safer schools, psychosocial support for survivors and temporary learning centres in camps for internally displaced people.<\/p>\n<div class=\"container--ads in-article-ads\">\n<div class=\"ads\"><span class=\"ads__title\"> Advertisement <\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"font-weight:400\">Since then, Nigeria\u2019s safe-schools framework has been expanded to include all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. Some states, such as Lagos and Ogun, have adapted and strengthened its implementation by introducing safety audits and establishing safety committees.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight:400\">Yet nationally, the initiative has fallen far short of its promise. In June, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project called for an investigation into allegations that funds allocated to SSI had been mismanaged or diverted amid scrutiny of the 145-billion-naira ($106m) financing plan.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight:400\">According to data in Nigeria\u2019s National Plan on Financing Safe Schools, more than 42,000 primary and secondary schools across northern Nigeria lacked perimeter fencing. The gap between the initiative\u2019s funding commitments and conditions on the ground has raised questions about how SSI has been managed. In July, the Nigerian House of Representatives ordered a comprehensive assessment of the initiative and the national plan, including the use of funds allocated to school-safety measures.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight:400\">Despite the initiative, attacks on schools and abductions of students and teachers have continued. Thousands of Nigerian students have been abducted by armed groups since 2014. A media tally recorded the abduction of at least 603 students and teachers in seven mass attacks from March 2024 to May 2026 alone.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight:400\">The consequences extend beyond those directly abducted. In many affected areas, a persistent lack of security has forced schools to remain closed, depriving children of their educations. On July 9, the Kebbi State government reiterated that schools in communities affected by banditry would remain closed until security improved, about seven months after the policy was introduced.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight:400\">This worsening crisis exposes the failure to implement SSI fully and effectively. Many targeted schools remain outside the programme\u2019s protection or have received upgrades only on paper. Even where physical security measures are in place, they cannot work in isolation.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight:400\">Building a wall around a school does not prevent armed groups from operating, recruiting or expanding in the surrounding area. Nor does it protect students on their journeys to and from school. Without the initiative\u2019s broader early-warning and community-security measures, fortification leaves the threat intact beyond the school walls.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight:400\">That wider threat is sustained by economic and governance failures. Armed groups and their local collaborators have different motives, but they thrive under many of the same conditions: high unemployment, extreme poverty, the absence of state authority and the rule of law in rural and border areas, corruption within local government and the security apparatus, and perceived political, economic and social marginalisation.<\/p>\n<div class=\"container--ads in-article-ads\">\n<div class=\"ads\"><span class=\"ads__title\"> Advertisement <\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-size:22px\">Effective implementation of SSI also requires sustained funding. In a country where the education sector is already severely underfunded, SSI can succeed only if governments budget not merely for walls, gates and surveillance systems but also for trained personnel, maintenance and emergency response. Without sustained funding, these systems will deteriorate and leave schools vulnerable once again.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight:400\">Fortification can also carry psychological and educational costs. A school, at its core, is an open community space for learning and growth. Transforming schools into something resembling \u201cfortified prisons\u201d or miniature military barracks can create an environment of constant fear and apprehension among students, negatively affecting their academic performance and mental health and weakening the schools\u2019 role as centres of community life.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight:400\">The answer is not to abandon SSI but to place it within a broader strategy. Schools cannot be protected in isolation from the roads, forests and communities surrounding them.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight:400\">A sustainable solution to a lack of security at schools lies in comprehensive community security. This means reforming Nigeria\u2019s security sector, integrating schools into local early-warning networks, improving relations between security forces and citizens, and extending effective state protection into areas where armed groups operate. It also requires economic development to address the entrenched poverty and unemployment that armed groups exploit, alongside efforts to combat terrorism and extremist recruitment.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight:400\">Nigeria\u2019s schools cannot be secure while the communities around them remain unsafe.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight:400\"><em><strong>The views expressed in this article are the author\u2019s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera\u2019s editorial stance.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Hakeem Najimdeen CEO of Alafarika for Studies and Consultancy, Nigeria. Published On 5 Aug 20265 Aug 2026 ListenListen (6 mins) Save Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share facebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylink googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo This photograph shows a deserted classroom at the Government Girls Secondary School, the day after the abduction of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1981","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Nigeria cannot build safe schools in unsafe communities - Asia Newscast<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?p=1981\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Nigeria cannot build safe schools in unsafe communities - Asia Newscast\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Hakeem Najimdeen CEO of Alafarika for Studies and Consultancy, Nigeria. Published On 5 Aug 20265 Aug 2026 ListenListen (6 mins) Save Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share facebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylink googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo This photograph shows a deserted classroom at the Government Girls Secondary School, the day after the abduction of [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?p=1981\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Asia Newscast\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-05T07:30:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/?p=1981#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/?p=1981\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"\",\"@id\":\"\"},\"headline\":\"Nigeria cannot build safe schools in unsafe communities\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-05T07:30:12+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/?p=1981\"},\"wordCount\":980,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/#organization\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/?p=1981#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/?p=1981\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/?p=1981\",\"name\":\"Nigeria cannot build safe schools in unsafe communities - Asia Newscast\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-05T07:30:12+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/?p=1981#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/?p=1981\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/?p=1981#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Nigeria cannot build safe schools in unsafe communities\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Asia Newscast\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Asia Newscast\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/anc-logo-v3.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/anc-logo-v3.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":853,\"caption\":\"Asia Newscast\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Nigeria cannot build safe schools in unsafe communities - Asia Newscast","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?p=1981","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Nigeria cannot build safe schools in unsafe communities - Asia Newscast","og_description":"By Hakeem Najimdeen CEO of Alafarika for Studies and Consultancy, Nigeria. Published On 5 Aug 20265 Aug 2026 ListenListen (6 mins) Save Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share facebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylink googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo This photograph shows a deserted classroom at the Government Girls Secondary School, the day after the abduction of [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?p=1981","og_site_name":"Asia Newscast","article_published_time":"2026-08-05T07:30:12+00:00","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?p=1981#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?p=1981"},"author":{"name":"","@id":""},"headline":"Nigeria cannot build safe schools in unsafe communities","datePublished":"2026-08-05T07:30:12+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?p=1981"},"wordCount":980,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/#organization"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?p=1981#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?p=1981","url":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?p=1981","name":"Nigeria cannot build safe schools in unsafe communities - Asia Newscast","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-08-05T07:30:12+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?p=1981#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?p=1981"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?p=1981#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Nigeria cannot build safe schools in unsafe communities"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/","name":"Asia Newscast","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/#organization","name":"Asia Newscast","url":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/anc-logo-v3.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/anc-logo-v3.jpg","width":1280,"height":853,"caption":"Asia Newscast"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1981","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1981"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1981\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1982,"href":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1981\/revisions\/1982"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1981"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1981"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1981"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}