Global Revulsion Greets Massacre of 16 Students in Borno, Yobe
IGP, Mohammed Abubakar
• Campaign launched to ensure every child goes to school safe
• 50 schools razed by Boko Haram as Borno govt beefs up security
Michael Olugbode
Following the massacre of 16 students in Yobe and Borno States this
week, former UK Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, has led the global
community in condemning in the strongest possible terms the killing of
the students and their teachers in both states.
Seven students and two teachers were killed on Sunday in Government
Secondary School, Damaturu, the Yobe State capital, by suspected members
of the Boko Haram sect.
The next day, five more students sitting for the National Examination
Council (NECO) exam at Ansarudeen Primary/Secondary School, a private
school in the Jajeri ward of Maiduguri metropolis, were killed; while
gunmen suspected to be members of the sect again stormed a private
secondary school in the Customs area of Maiduguri on Wednesday, killing
four teachers and two students.
In a statement signed by Brown, who is also the UN Secretary-General's
Special Envoy for Global Education, he said: “In response to these
tragedies, and events a day earlier in Pakistan where 14 girls were
murdered on their school bus, a new global petition - led by Malala the
young Pakistani girl shot for wanting an education - has been launched
calling on governments to ensure that every child can go to school in
safety.”
He said the petition - which demands that the UN implement its Millennium Development Goal promises of universal education by December 2015 - can be signed on aworldatschool.org.
He said the petition - which demands that the UN implement its Millennium Development Goal promises of universal education by December 2015 - can be signed on aworldatschool.org.
Also joining in the condemnation, the United Nations Secretary-General,
Ban Ki-Moon, expressed shock and dismay at the terrorist killings,
wondering how in a school examination hall last Sunday seven students
and two teachers were killed by gunmen and how this five-hour shootout
at the secondary school in Damaturu was then followed by a grim sequel
when on Monday nine students were murdered in a school hall in
Maiduguri.
The Nigerian killings have parallels with the Saturday massacre at a girl’s college in Pakistan, Brown said.
The Nigerian killings have parallels with the Saturday massacre at a girl’s college in Pakistan, Brown said.
“There on Saturday, a bus taking 40 students from their college studies
was blown up by a female suicide bomber, killing 14 girls. In just
three days, 30 young people have lost their lives simply because they
wanted an education.
“And there is a pattern that is now visible in these outrages. The five
students who were killed on Monday at the primary/secondary school, in
the Jajeri ward of Maiduguri metropolis, were gunned down in the
examination hall as they started their annual exams.
“Once terrorists had stormed the school, the sect members opened fire
on the hall just moments after the examination started, forcing students
and invigilators to take to their heels.
“This episode resembles earlier attacks in Pakistan where only a few
weeks ago at an all girls' school, pupils were gunned down and bombs
thrown into the playground at a Saturday morning open-air prize giving
ceremony.”
He observed Nigeria has more than 10 million girls and boys who are not
at school, adding that the figure is the highest in the world.
“The poorest most rural communities are the worst hit of all. If you
want to help their cause, join Malala in signing the petition on
aworldatschool.org. As Malala said when supporting the new petition,
every child has a right to go to school,” Brown said.
Also, in response to the targeting of schools in the state, the Borno
State Government yesterday promised to provide security in all schools
in the state to stem the rising spate of killings of teachers and
students and to ward off the ceaseless burning of schools by the deadly
Boko Haram sect.
The state also expressed concern that in the last one year, the terrorist group has razed over 50 primary and junior secondary schools in the state and caused government to spend several millions of naira in reconstruction.
The state also expressed concern that in the last one year, the terrorist group has razed over 50 primary and junior secondary schools in the state and caused government to spend several millions of naira in reconstruction.
Speaking at a press conference Thursday, the Borno State Universal
Basic Education Board (SUBEB) Chairman, Professor Tijjani Abba Ali, said
the state government was made to rebuild two schools shortly after they
were built from the initial ashes.
Ali said initially 10 schools were burnt for which the state received
assistance of N120 million from the Ministry of Education to rebuild but
the schools were razed again shortly after they were rebuilt.
Ali added that after the incident, more schools were razed, putting the
total number of primary and junior secondary schools that have been
razed by the fundamentalists at over 50.
The SUBEB chairman, who said the destroyed senior secondary schools were excluded from the list, revealed that six teachers and five students had been killed by the insurgents in primary schools in the state in the last few days.
The SUBEB chairman, who said the destroyed senior secondary schools were excluded from the list, revealed that six teachers and five students had been killed by the insurgents in primary schools in the state in the last few days.
He also disclosed that from 2008 to 2011, the state government had
settled all the outstanding counterpart funding with Universal Basic
Education (UBE) in order to access about N3.4 billion which was expended
in the reconstruction, and procurement of furniture for schools under
the SUBEB scheme across the 27 local government areas of the state.
According to him, under the self-help projects of UBE, 85 and 107
schools benefited from the scheme in 2010 and 2011 respectively,
stressing that schools were selected across the three senatorial
districts of the state.
On teachers’ welfare, he said the government had promoted 13,163
teachers across the state and had set up a committee with a view to
settling the gratuities of all teachers who died in service and those
who have retired
No comments:
Please note that comments are reactions from readers which has nothing to do with the Admin. Thank You