The National Coordinator, Financing safe schools in Nigeria, Hajia Halima Iliya Ibrahim has disclosed that the investment into the National Plan on Financing Safe Schools starting from 2023 to 2026 will cost N144.8 billion to be implemented.
The Plan proposes to spend N32.58 billion in 2023, N36.98 billion in 2024, N37.15 billion in 2025, and N38.03 billion in 2026, respectively.
To this end, the Federal Government has made a budgetary provision of N15 billion in 2023.
The National Coordinator disclosed the budgetary plans and cost during a press briefing on Tuesday in Abuja.
Hajia Ibrahim explained that the “funding of the Plan is through Annual Budgetary provisions from Federal, States and Local Governments, Government Interventionist Agencies, Foreign Government and Multilateral Institutions, Businesses and Philanthropist, Donors Partners and others”.
According to Hajia Ibrahim, the safe school financing plan will focus on achieving the following milestone:
“Building and integrating security resilient host communities in the Protection of education; strengthening the detection deterrence, and response capabilities of security agencies; equipping the school security, response and coordination centres in Abuja and other states respectively; regular engagements and policy advocacy with the Nigerian public and key government officials on implementation of the national plan”.
The National Coordinator, Financing Safe Schools in Nigeria further stated that the plan will start from 18 high risk States in the country with 48 Schools from each, and subsequently spread across other States.
Dr. Ebenezer Leo, Head of Education of Nigerian Governors Forum and a member of the Financing Safe Schools in Nigeria expressed the commitment of the State Governors to the Safe Schools Initiative, noting that they are looking at making provisions for it in their 2024 budgets.
Dr Leo reiterated that all the States in the Federation would be covered after the first phase, adding that “the safety of Schools is imperative if we have to achieve the SDGs, and our children have the best of education”.
“Another success in line with the Federal Ministry of Finance Budget and National Planning
The Inspector General of Police Mr. Kayode Egbetokun is holding a Strategic Forum on the Protection of Schools and other Learning Places in Nigeria and the Lunching of the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the Police Special Squad for Safe Schools on the 9th August 2023”, Halima Ibrahim further stated.
On 21 December 2019, former President Muhammadu Buhari formerly signed “Ihe Safe Schools Declaration Ratification Documents”, which has been endorsed by 118 countries signaling Nigeria’s commitment to implementation.
This commitment was followed by High-Level Forum in April 2021 convened by the immediate past Minister for Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zairab Ahmed in partnership with Emergency Coordination Center (ECC) on Financing Safe Schools in Nigeria to chart a way forward in addressing attacks on educational infrastructures.
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