42,000 Schools Still Vulnerable Despite $30 Million Safe School Funds
By FATIMA HUSSAINI
DESPITE $30 million raised for the Safe School Initiative (SSI) since the 2014 Chibok abductions, over 42,000 schools in northern Nigeria remain vulnerable to kidnappings and attacks. Armed groups have abducted more than 2,000 students and forced about 800 schools to shut over the past decade.
The SSI, launched with support from Nigerian business leaders, Gordon Brown, and global partners, was intended to strengthen school security and infrastructure. Yet repeated attacks—from Chibok to Kagara, Dapchi, and Jangebe—highlight persistent gaps in implementation.
Data shows that thousands of schools, including 4,270 secondary and nearly 38,700 primary schools, lack perimeter fencing, leaving students exposed. Budgeted plans from 2023 to 2026 aimed to improve security in high-risk areas, but bureaucratic overlap and unclear responsibilities among federal, state, and security agencies have stalled progress.
Experts argue that ineffective governance, weak monitoring, and shifting priorities have hampered SSI outcomes. Security analysts and education advocates stress the need for perimeter fencing, security cameras, trained personnel, emergency protocols, and stronger community engagement to protect students.
Parents and NGOs have demanded full accountability for SSI funds, warning that without action, fear, abductions, and school closures will continue to threaten a generation of Nigerian children.
