Governor Umar Radda of Katsina state has disclosed that Nigeria’s educational system is in dire straits due to insecurity, saying that Nigeria’s extreme insecurity is pushing education to the brink, so much so that educators, pupils and the government appear displeased.
The Katsina state Governor made the disclosure on Friday in Gusau while delivering a lecture at the second pre-convocation ceremony of the Federal University Gusau() in Zamfara state.
Radda who presented a lecture on the topic ‘Insecurity and Educational instability in Nigeria, the way forward” said Education has its share of difficulties across the nation.
“When students in schools run the risk of losing their lives or their freedom, our future is in danger.
“No less than 800 secondary school and university students have been reported abducted in the last two years as a result of coordinated attacks by terrorists and bandits.
“While these kidnappings are not new, they have nonetheless, increased in frequency since 276 students from the government students’ secondary school in Chibok, Borno State, were taken in 2014, If anything, the nightmare is made worse by how frequently these abductions occur now.”
He said a lot of Nigerians who were angry before now seem to have become acquiescent, leading to the unfortunate acceptance that there will never be a safe educational environment in Nigeria, “as going to school is now a dangerous endeavour that foretells the loss of freedom and life, and that, once your child is kidnapped, it is usual to scrabble about trying to gather millions in ransom.
“Nigeria’s extreme insecurity is pushing education to the brink, so much so that educators, pupils, and the government, appear displeased and have actually raised their hands in desperation. This could eventually result in education deterioration and desertion.
“Over the past ten years, Nigeria has faced significant insecurity, the 2022 Global Safety Perception Index (GSPI) Nigeria was ranked 144th out of 163 countries in the Global Peace Index is 2023, making it one of the worst places to live in, in the contemporary world Since 2009, the terrorist group, Boko Haram, has devastated and the country’s northeast, causing hundreds of thousands of people to shake their destabilized lives and be displaced; those displaced being mostly children and the elderly.
“Without doubt, the nation’s current state of insecurity has stated the adoption of drastic containment measures do address the menace. Even though it would require a lot of time, and resources to accomplish, the results will undoubtedly be worth the effort”.
“Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, it is in the light of these worrisome circumstances, that this lecture focuses on the relationship between insecurity and unstable education in Nigeria, with a view to suggesting ways to mitigate the current security threats and promote sustainable development in Nigeria and particularly, the educational sector.
“Instability in Education. Literally, education is the process of imparting knowledge and skills to people in order to shape their behaviour and make them productive members of society.
“On the other hand, instability denotes being erratic and unpredictable. Primary and secondary schools, universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, and other educational establishments are hubs for the development of knowledge and skills.
“These educational establishments are supposed to provide their students with the information and ability they need to succeed or excel in their chosen fields in a calm and hassle-free setting.”
He said an environment of instability makes it impossible for educational institutions to be progressive, predictable, sustainable, and stable.
“An unstable educational system is reflected in a number of disruptions, such as extended breaks, abrupt or intermittent cessation of academic activity, delay in resuming classes, and temporary or permanent closure of schools.
“We define educational instability as alterations to educational policies, either across the board or within a specific subsystem.
“Insecurity in Nigeria takes many different forms among which is terrorism which is one of the security challenges Nigeria has today.
“Another form of security challenge that has continued to threaten both educational stability and national security in Nigeria is the perennial conflict between farmers and herders, especially in the North-Central region of the country.”
Earlier in his welcome address, the Vice-chancellor of Federal University Gusau professor Muazu Abubakar said Insecurity and Educational instability in Nigeria, the way forward” said the topic was chosen due to the present situation we found in our environment.
He assured that the chairman of the occasion professor( Emiratus ) Sani Sambo would do justice to the topic after the presentation.
Also in his remarks professor (Emiratus) Sani Sambo Commended the VC, staff and management for organizing such events at this time.
Congratulated the two governors of Katsina and Zamfara states towards their proactive measures on security issues in their respective states.
Professor (Emiratus) Sani Sambo after the lecture, advised the university authority to print the lecture and distribute it to Governors, and security agencies, and added that it may be useful to them.
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