Nation
Don Urges FG To Review Safe School Initiative Policy
A Security Scholar at the University of Ibadan, Prof Oyesoji Aremu, has advised the Federal Government to review the 2014 Safe School Initiative Policy to include security education.
Aremu stated this in an interview with The Tide source in Ibadan yesterday while speaking on how to curb insecurity challenges in Nigerian schools.
According to him, it was worrisome and very disturbing that as of the second week in July, not less than 348 students, some running to months, according to UNESCO are still in the dens of bandits.
He said that It would take a very serious commitment and efficacy for such distraught students and their parents to think of returning to schools.
“Abductions of school children and personnel should therefore, attract more concerted efforts and zests that will gear toward restoring the school system back to normalcy.
“That itself can be guaranteed if the entire country is safe of banditry and insurgency.
“Above all, it is instructive for the Federal Government of Nigeria to review the 2014 policy on Safe School Initiative with a view to incorporating security education,” Aremu said.
The don said the Nigerian School System especially the Primary and Secondary sub-sectors have never had it so bad as it was presently going by the ceaseless war against it.
“Call it, ‘banditcracy’ if you like. Our school system in the North is under a siege through which, teaching and learning are no longer guaranteed and cannot also be provided.
“Between December, 2020 and the first week of July, not less than 1000 school children have been kidnapped and millions of naira paid as ransoms.
“The latest being the abduction of 140 students of Bethel Baptist High School, Kajuma in Kaduna State,” he said.
Aremu, who is also the Chairman, Educational Management Board of the Baptist Mission schools of the Nigerian Baptist Convention said never in our history have we lost students to kidnapping as we witnessed in the last eight months.
Speaking on its implications for the education sector, he said “the development has not only portend a bleak future for the entire country.
“I fear that the effects of school insecurity will sooner than later, reverberate to the entire country in terms of a resurgence of crimes in various shades and dimensions.
“This is not to say about the collapse that will greet whatever remains of Western education in many parts of the North,” he said.
“Statistics have it that Nigeria has the highest record of out-of-school children globally of more than 10 million students.
“Unfortunately, school insecurity accounts for the larger chunk of the reasons, followed by COVID-19 which ravaged the globe in 2020,” he said.
Aremu, however, noted that while COVID-19 had been curtailed to a great extent, violence against the school system was alarmingly on the increase.
He noted that “the entire North accounts for more than 70 per cent of out-of-school children in Nigeria. Unfortunately, school insecurity is more pronounced in the region especially in the North East and West.”
According to him, this in essence means that Nigeria may witness more out-of-school children in some years to come in that part of the country.
“As the country continues to witness school insecurity resulting in abductions, many schools as being reported will be closed down; and thousands of children will, out of morbid fear and anxiety, drop out.
“Similarly, many youngsters will develop poor school esteem and lack of interest as a result of post-traumatic abduction-ladden stories of many of their peers who either, their parents paid ransoms or were lucky to have escaped from the captivity of bandits.
“All these could culminate into extinction of schools especially in the North if the ugly situation is not halted.
“Unfortunately, if the inperson school system becomes extinct in the North, our educational system is not mature and does not have the technological infrastructure to run a home school system,” Aremu said.
The Executive Secretary of the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD), Dr Chioma Ejikeme, has reiterated the commitment to service delivery for pensioners.
Ejikeme said this during the Customer Service Week in Abuja, yesterday.
He said that commission had a mandate to deliver good service delivery to the pensioners.
Ejikeme, who was represented by the Director Civil Service Pension Department, Mr Kabir Yusuf, said that the customer service week was important to operations of PTAD.
“Customer service is the support that you give to a customer, whether it is an existing customer or potential customer in the process of delivering or making enquires about a service.
“To be a good customer service representative you need to be knowledgeable, have good attitude and attribute especially to the senior citizens and have empathy,” he said.
Ejikeme said that all PTAD staff had most of the attributes of a good customer representative.
“We provide excellent customer service by going to verify our aged pensioners who cannot do it by themselves anywhere across the country.
“There is a dedicated team that was mandated to go round to confirm the aliveness of those who can not confirm their aliveness either because the are too old or have health issues,” the executive secretary said.
The National Coordinator, SERVICOM, Mrs Nnenna Akajemeli, said that the official theme of the 2024 customer service week was “ We Go Above and Beyond For Our Customers.”
She commended PTAD and the SERVICOM team for organising the 2024 customer service week.
“This is in line with the best practice of celebrating frontline workers and service takers.
“Customer service week is celebrated annually during the first full week in October.
It calls attention to the importance of people to boost morale team work and departmental collaboration in supporting pensioners.
“ It is a platform to reward employees for the significant work they do,” Akajemeli said.
She said that the objective of the customer service week was to celebrate the hard work and dedication of employee who strived to create positive customer experiences.
She said that it was time to show customers that the organisation valued their experience and feedback, through comment cards, dedicated hotline, among others.
Akajemeli said that it raised awareness internally and externally about the importance of good customer service in building customer loyalty and satisfaction.
She said that the benefit was to increase motivation, show appreciation, encourage friendly competition, boost employee retention, create a positive workplace and increase productivity.
The Head, Surveillance Department at the National Pension Commission (PenCom), Mr Abdulrahman Saleem, said that good service delivery was the key success of every establishment.
Salem said that PTAD operated with standard, considering the success it had achieved so far.
Saleem said that pensioners required the best service attitude and behavior.
“ I give kudos to PTAD for its efforts and encourage it to do more.
“Therefore I urge PTAD staff to keep up the standard and continue to give good service to the pensioners,” he said.
The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, has honoured Flying Officer David Sangokoya for winning the 2023/2024 Royal Air Force College Cranwell International Cadet Sword of Honour.
Abubakar honoured the officer during the presentation of cheques to 13 beneficiaries of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Group Personal Accident Insurance Policy (GPAIP) in Abuja, yesterday.
He described the achievement as ground-breaking as it was the first time an African cadet had won the prestigious award since the Academy’s creation over 100 years ago.
According to him, the feat underscores the excellence that exists within NAF, and proof that NAF officers and cadets can stand shoulder to shoulder with the best in the world.
“To our awardee, you have set a new standard, not just for your peers, but for every cadet and officer that will come after you.
“This accomplishment is a powerful reminder that no goal is out of reach when one is armed with dedication, discipline and an unwavering commitment to excellence.
“Your journey as an officer has begun with this prestigious accolade, but the true measure of your success will be seen in how you serve, lead and contribute to the mission of NAF and the defence of our great nation.
“As we celebrate this historic occasion, we extend our deepest gratitude to the United Kingdom Government for its unwavering support in providing world-class training opportunities to our personnel.
“This has enabled our officers and men to gain invaluable skills and knowledge, strengthening not only our bilateral ties but also our collective ability to address global security challenges,” he said.
The CAS said that the NAF looked forward to continuing the fruitful partnership for the mutual benefit of Nigeria and UK countries.
He expressed gratitude and unflinching loyalty to President Bola Tinubu for his commitment to the welfare and training of members of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, and NAF in particular.
“I must also take a moment to extend my heartfelt appreciation to the leadership of the Nigerian Defence Academy and the instructors who helped to mould and prepare this cadet for the global stage.
“Their dedication and commitment to developing top-notch officers is evident in this ground-breaking achievement.
“You have not only trained a leader but have given the Nigerian Air Force a legacy we will all cherish,” he said.
National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has advocated private sector involvement to strengthen Nigeria’s healthcare system.
The Director-General of the authority, Dr Kelechi Ohiri, made the call at a high-level policy dialogue on sustainable health system reforms in Nigeria in Abuja, yesterday.
The Tide’s source reports that the dialogue was organised by the Healthcare Federation of Nigeria (HFN), a coalition of private sector stakeholders, to address the multifaceted challenges plaguing the country’s healthcare system.
The dialogue has “Private Sector Support for SWAP (Sector Wide Approach) in Healthcare” as its theme.
Represented by Dr Yakubu Agada-Amade, the NHIA Director of Standards and Quality Assurance, Ohiri explained the crucial role of private sector collaboration in strengthening Nigeria’s healthcare system
He highlighted the “One Plan” under the SWAp framework, which seeks to unify health sector efforts, ensuring efficient resource use, effective governance and expanded healthcare access.
He also stressed the importance of overcoming barriers that historically hindered the implementation of healthcare interventions in Nigeria, such as inadequate financing, weak governance systems, and bureaucratic bottlenecks.
He added that “the dialogue explored innovative approaches, including digital health innovations and financing mechanisms to accelerate the implementation of the National Health Act and mandatory health insurance coverage.
“With enrollment in health insurance growing by 14 per cent over the past year, NHIA can push for greater inclusivity, particularly targeting the informal sector through flexible payment systems and partnerships with telecommunications companies.”
He called for stronger synergy between public and private health actors to ensure universal access to quality healthcare and sustainable reforms in line with the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII).
Panelists from the Association of Nigerian Private Medical Practitioners (ANPMP), Healthcare Providers Association of Nigeria (HCPAN) and Health and Managed Care Association of Nigeria (HMCAN) echoed the sentiments, underscoring the private sector’s role in expanding insurance coverage and improving healthcare delivery.
They commended NHIA’s efforts toward driving reforms to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) through the Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp).
