The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) criticized the federal government’s and certain state governments’ decision to close schools due to an increase in kidnapping incidents on Sunday, cautioning that the action would unintentionally assist terrorists in their goal of severely impairing education.
Comrade Ini Ememobong, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, told reporters in Abuja that closing schools would be tantamount to giving criminal organizations the upper hand.
“The terrorists’ objective would have been unintentionally accomplished if the schools were closed,” he stated.
Ememobong denounced the Tinubu administration’s “simplistic approach” of closing institutions to stop kidnappings.
Instead, he argued, the federal government should develop an all-encompassing, intelligence-driven strategy based on fast reaction systems and community vigilance.
He claims that as insecurity is quickly turning into a significant deterrent to education, especially in the North, it is imperative that the National Policy on Safety, Security, and Violence-Free Schools be properly implemented.
The majority of Nigeria’s 18.3 million out-of-school children live in Northern Nigeria, where the PDP spokesman claimed that the closure of schools would exacerbate the already severe situation.
There are 10.2 million primary school-age children and 8.1 million secondary school-age pupils in Northern Nigeria alone. He claimed that closing schools will simply make the situation worse.
The latest wave of kidnappings in Kebbi, Niger, and other states, according to him, is “indicative of the alarming insecurity that has become the contemporary lived experience of Nigerians under the APC-led Bola Tinubu government.”
The Federal Government’s response to the latest school kidnappings was criticized by Ememobong.
“The administration’s response to these unfortunate incidents is typically lackluster and unempathetic, which is more troubling,” he said.
He criticized President Bola Tinubu for not traveling to Kebbi and Niger states to show compassion for the victims’ families, pointing out that the President had simply instructed the Minister of State for Defense to move to Kebbi.
“A comparison of the contingents sent to the US Congress and the G-20 meeting with Matawalle’s lone envoy exposes the levity with which the Presidency treats this matter,” he stated. The APC-led Federal Government’s response is incredibly callous and downplays the seriousness of the issue.
The opposition party reminded the Tinubu administration that its main responsibility is to protect people and property.
“We remind the President, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and the entire APC-led administration that the security of lives and property is the primary function of any government,” stated Ememobong. A government must either beg for assistance locally or internationally or, if it is serious and responsible, retire honorably if it is unwilling, unable, or incapable of carrying out this fundamental task.
