Zamfara: NSCDC/CSOs Assure Safer Schools
From Ibrahim Kaulahi, Gusau
The Zamfara State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has keyed into partnership with Coalition of Civil Society Organizations in the State under the umbrella of Zamfara Safer Schools Technical Team (ZSSTT) with a view to strengthen efforts to secure conducive environments for both teaching and learning in the state.
The assurance was given by the Commandant of the NSCDC in his office at the NSCDC state headquarters, Cmdt Sani Mustapha while addressing the CSO’s Technical Team that paid him a familiarization and advocacy visit on making schools safer to forward the education sector which suffered heavily by the banditry activities.
Commandant Mustapha informed that the Corps under the Safe School Initiatives program, has deployed personnel of the Corps to beef up security at College of Animal Science Bakura and the Federal University Gusau amongst other tertiary institutions.
He stressed that, the Corps in the state is working assiduously to ensure a smooth and conducive academic atmosphere for students in the state, adding that, the Corps recently, apprehended some vandals who infiltrated the school premises of Government Girls Day Secondary School Tudun Wada Gusau to Vandalize wires and electric fittings in the school.
The Commandant reiterated that, for a safer and efficacious academic learning environment to strive, it demands the combined efforts of stakeholders, CSOs and Communal participation. To this end, the Corps in the state has planned to carry out a non kinetic approach in ensuring a safe and conducive atmosphere for learning.
He said, part of such non Kinetic approach by the Corps is the commencement of sensitisation awareness campaign against kidnapping in schools which is to involve the holistic participation of school host communities, traditional leaders, Staff and Students of schools and CSOs.
He also said that, the Rapid Response Squad of the Corps which has been since initiated, is always ready to attend to distress calls from schools in distress.
Earlier, the deputy Chairman of the CSO’s coalition in the state, Dr. Ahmed Hashim who led the delegation, has commended the efforts of the Corps in the fight against insecurity and the Safe Schools Initiatives program of the Corps.
He opined that Zamfara CSOs Safe Schools Technical Team is a non Governmental Organization concerned with the safety of students, teachers and learning environment in Zamfara schools.
Dr Hashim, said that the NGO main objective is to advocate for adequate security and funding of security agencies in the schools, seek proper synergy, collaborations and coordination amongst security agencies and to activate Safe School teams in schools across the state.
The team leader has however, presented a fact sheet which contains the records of insecurity in some schools in the past to the State Commandant who was represented by the Command’s 2ic, DCC Musa Garba.
