IGP, safe school chief, others to tackle safety crisis at EWAN summit

Nigeria’s Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, will deliver the keynote address at the seventh annual summit of the Education Writers’ Association of Nigeria (EWAN).

The summit is themed ‘Schools Under Threat: From Reactive Responses to Sustainable Protection’ and will hold on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. at The Providence Hotel, GRA, Lagos.

The summit will examine practical ways to protect learners, teachers and school facilities, strengthen preparedness and ensure that education continues when insecurity disrupts school activities.

The Chairman of the Governing Board of the National Universities Commission (NUC) and former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, will chair the event.

Other speakers expected include the National Coordinator, Financing Safe Schools in Nigeria, Halima Iliya; Lagos State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Jamiu Alli-Balogun; Executive Director of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ), Motunrayo Alaka; National President of the All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS), Robert Okorie; and National President of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Comrade Audu Titus.

Their contributions will connect government policy and financing with the daily realities of managing schools, protecting teachers and learners, and holding institutions accountable for safety commitments.

Discussions will focus on preventive measures, early warning systems, emergency response, community engagement and the support education workers require before, during and after security incidents. The role of the media in exposing gaps in school protection, sustaining public attention and reporting security incidents responsibly will also be examined.

The summit is open to policymakers, security personnel, education professionals, researchers, development practitioners and civil society representatives.

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Explaining the choice of theme, EWAN Chairman, Mojeed Alabi, said school protection must go beyond emergency responses after attacks.

“Each attack on a school affects more than the people caught in it. It leaves teachers afraid, parents uncertain and learners at risk of losing access to education. We chose this theme because protecting schools must be a continuous responsibility, with clear plans, adequate funding and people who know what to do when warning signs emerge,” Alabi said.

He added: “We cannot wait until an incident occurs before asking whether a school has an emergency plan, whether teachers are prepared or whether help can reach those at risk. These questions need answers before an emergency, and the answers must translate into practical protection.”

EWAN is a network of professional education correspondents from print, broadcast and digital media organisations across Nigeria. Its annual summit provides a platform for examining pressing education issues and promoting informed public debate.

Previous editions have addressed issues including the integrity of public examinations, basic education, school safety, research for national development, electricity supply in the education sector, and the growing emphasis on certificates over practical skills.

Past keynote speakers include NECO Registrar, Prof. Dantani Ibrahim Wushishi; former Permanent Delegate of Nigeria to UNESCO, Ambassador Michael Omolewa; former Minister of Education, Prof. Chinwe Obaji; NSCDC Commandant-General, Dr Ahmed Abubakar Audi; former UNILAG Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe; and former NUC Executive Secretary, Prof. Peter Okebukola, among other distinguished personalities.

Other dignitaries who have graced the event include the former Minister of State for Education and current Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Yusuf Tanko Sununu.