Education

Chibok Girls: UNICEF urges Nigerian Govt. to make schools safe

Published

3 years ago

April 14, 2022

Chibok Girls: UNICEF urges Nigerian Govt. to make schools safe

As part of activities marking the eight years commemoration of the Chibok girl’s abduction in Borno State, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has, in a statement, appealed to authorities in Nigeria to make schools safe and provide a secure learning environment for every child in the country, especially for girls, to increase girls’ enrolment, retention, and completion of education.

The statement, which was signed by the UNICEF country representative, Peter Hawkins, on Thursday, was to mark the abduction of the 276 students at Government Girls’ Secondary School Chibok.

“Today marks eight years since the first known attack on a learning institution in Nigeria on 14 April 2014, in which 276 students at the Government Girls Secondary School Chibok in North-East Nigeria were abducted by a Non-State Armed Group.

“Since then, a spate of attacks on schools and abductions of students – sometimes resulting in their deaths – has become recurrent in the last two years, especially in the North-West and North-Central regions of Nigeria. Since December 2020, 1,436 school children and 17 teachers have been abducted from schools, and 16 school children lost their lives.

“Unsafe schools, occasioned by attacks on schools and abduction of students, are reprehensible, a brutal violation of the rights of the victims to education, and totally unacceptable. Their occurrences cut short the futures and dreams of the affected students,” Peter Hawkins remarked in the press release.

Hawkins added: “Attacks on learning institutions render the learning environment insecure and discourage parents and caregivers from sending their wards to schools, while the learners themselves become fearful of the legitimate pursuit of learning.

“The invisible harm school attacks inflict on the victims’ mental health is incalculable and irredeemable.”

He further said, “Girls have particularly been targeted, exacerbating the figures of out-of-school children in Nigeria, 60 per cent of whom are girls. It is a trajectory which must be halted, and every hand in Nigeria must be on deck to ensure that learning in Nigeria is not a dangerous enterprise for any child, particularly for girls.”

The organisation stated that “In Nigeria, a total of 11, 536 schools were closed since December 2020 due to abductions and security issues.

“These school closures have impacted the education of approximately 1.3 million children in the 2020/21 academic year. This interruption of their learning contributes to gaps in children’s knowledge and skills and may lead to the loss of approximately 3.4 billion USD in these children’s lifetime earnings. This risks to further perpetuating cycles of poverty and inequality.”

According to the press release, UNICEF, with generous funding from donors, is collaborating with the government of Nigeria to protect children’s right to education in a safe and inclusive learning environment. This involves building the capacity of School-Based Management Committees on school safety and security and strengthening community resilience.

The statement read further: “In Katsina State, 300 SBMC members have been trained, and schools, supported through the Girls’ Education Project funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office of the United Kingdom, have developed Emergency Preparedness and Response Plans to mitigate the impact of potential and actual threats.

“Multi-sectoral task teams on school safety have also been established across all the 34 LGAs of Katsina State to provide timely and efficient networking among actors on school security, with particular focus on the safety of girls. Additionally, 60 Junior Secondary Schools have developed emergency plans and tested the plans in evacuation drills.

“In Katsina State, government and communities have fenced some schools, and this is encouraging girls to attend school, underscoring the reality that collaboration is required in addressing insecurity in schools and making schools safe, especially for girls,” said Hawkins.

“Although Nigeria has ratified the Safe Schools Declaration, schools and learners are not sufficiently protected. Unless greater attention is given to protecting children, teachers and schools, they will continue to come under attack. Urgent, coordinated action is needed to safeguard the right to learn for every child in Nigeria.”

Education

Billionaire Indimi inaugurated for a second term as Pro Chancellor of the Kashim Ibrahim University Maiduguri

Published

2 days ago

September 3, 2025

Ochuwa Ibrahim

Billionaire Indimi inaugurated for a second term as Pro Chancellor of the Kashim Ibrahim University Maiduguri

By: Bodunrin Kayode

Nigerian Billionaire Dr Mohammed Indimi has been inaugurated for the second term as Pro Chancellor of the Borno State government owned Kashim Ibrahim University (KIU).

Indimi and his team were inaugurated monday by Governor Babagana Zulum to continue developing the state owned University which has grown massively since he took charge four years ago as pro chancellor.

Speaking after their inauguration, Zulum, tasked the Governing Council of the University to foster the culture of cutting-edge research, innovation and community development to address the challenges and opportunities of the post-insurgency recovery efforts.

The Governor noted that the inauguration is part of the broader effort to reposition the University as a beacon of knowledge, innovation and moral rectitude, not just for the North-East, but for Nigeria as a whole.

He stressed that the challenges before the new council was significant as the opportunities are myriad adding that “we task you with fostering a culture of rigorous research, innovative teaching and community-relevant curricula that addresses the unique challenges and opportunities of our post-insurgency recovery and development”.

Governor Zulum expressed delight that the student population alone had grown from a mere 300 in the beginning to about 10,000 in the last 6 years.

He charged the new council to prioritize the welfare of both staff and students and uphold the highest standards of academic excellence, transparency and prudent management of resources.

“You are now the legal custodians of this university’s destiny, entrusted with a sacred mandate to provide strategic direction, ensure financial prudence, uphold the highest standards of academic excellence and safeguard the welfare of both staff and students.

“This ceremony is a fulfilment of our administration’s unwavering commitment to strengthening the governance structures of all tertiary institutions in Borno State.

“It is pivotal to repositioning this University as a beacon of knowledge, innovation and moral rectitude, not just for the North-East, but Nigeria as a whole”.

“Section 1(1) (c) of the Third Schedule of the Kashim Ibrahim University Law, 2018, as amended, empowers me to constitute a Governing Council as the supreme governing body of the University charged with the general control and superintendence of the policy, finances and administration of the institution”.

“In particular, I wish to address our Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Alhaji (Dr) Muhammadu Indimi. Your legendary philanthropy and unwavering support for education are well-known,” he concluded.

Responding, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Dr Muhammadu Indimi said he graciously accepted the appointment with the aim of serving his state and promised to provide positive change in the University.

“I accepted this position because I have to support my state. With my able lieutenants, we promise to provide positive change in the University,” Indimi assured.

Billionaire Indimi inaugurated for a second term as Pro Chancellor of the Kashim Ibrahim University Maiduguri

Education

Zulum Tasks University Council on Innovative Research for Post-Insurgency Recovery

Published

3 days ago

September 2, 2025

Ochuwa Ibrahim

Zulum Tasks University Council on Innovative Research for Post-Insurgency Recovery

By: Our Reporter

Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, has tasked the Governing Council of Kashim Ibrahim University to foster the culture of cutting-edge research, innovation and community development to address the challenges and opportunities of the post-insurgency recovery effort.

The governor gave the task on Monday while inaugurating the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Dr Muhammadu Indimi and members of the Governing Council of the University at the Council Chamber of the Government House in Maiduguri.

He noted that the inauguration is part of the broader effort to reposition the University as a beacon of knowledge, innovation and moral rectitude, not just for the North-East, but for Nigeria as a whole.

“The challenges before you are as significant as the opportunities. We task you with fostering a culture of rigorous research, innovative teaching and community-relevant curricula that address the unique challenges and opportunities of our post-insurgency recovery and development,” Zulum stated.

Governor Zulum expressed delight that the student population has grown from 300 to about 10,000 in the last 6 years.

He charged them to prioritize the welfare of both staff and students and uphold the highest standards of academic excellence, transparency and prudent management of resources.

“This ceremony is a fulfilment of our administration’s unwavering commitment to strengthening the governance structures of all tertiary institutions in Borno State. It is pivotal to repositioning this University as a beacon of knowledge, innovation and moral rectitude, not just for the North-East, but Nigeria as a whole”.

Governor Zulum remarked that his administration is making unprecedented investments in education, constructed 139 new mega schools, rehabilitated many others and recruited thousands of teachers. “We are establishing six centres of excellence and have banned political thuggery to redirect the energies of our youth towards scholarly and vocational pursuits”.

He congratulated the Chairman and members of the Council for their commitment, integrity and passion for the advancement of the institution.

“I offer my heartfelt congratulations to you all. Your selection was not by chance. It was a deliberate choice based on your proven integrity, vast experience and demonstrable passion for education and community development. In particular, I wish to address our Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Alhaji (Dr) Muhammadu Indimi. Your legendary philanthropy and unwavering support for education are well-known,” he concluded.

“I accepted this position because I have to support my state. With my able lieutenants, we promise to provide positive change in the university,” Indimi assured.

Zulum Tasks University Council on Innovative Research for Post-Insurgency Recovery

Education

Final year student dies during abortion in Lokoja

Published

1 week ago

August 27, 2025

Ochuwa Ibrahim

Final year student dies during abortion in Lokoja

By: Zagazola Makama

A final year student of the Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja, has died during an abortion procedure in a private clinic.

Zagazola learnt incident occurred on Aug. 26 at Al-Hassan Clinic and Maternity, Sarkin Noma, Lokoja.

The deceased, identified as Omotosho Dorcas, 26, was six months pregnant and had gone to the clinic for termination of the pregnancy.

“In the process of the abortion, she bled to death,” said sources.

The sources said police detectives visited the scene, took photographs, and evacuated the corpse to the Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja, for preservation.

The sources added that the suspect behind the procedure has been arrested, while the case would be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for further investigation.

Final year student dies during abortion in Lokoja