THISDAY

Chibok Girls: Ten Years After

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The abduction of 276 students of Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok in Borno State on April, 14, 2014, remains one of the saddest narratives in the nation’s history. Despite the return of 194 girls, the fate of 82 others remained unknown, leaving their families and communitie­s in anguish. Ugo Aliogo examines the 10 years anniversar­y of the abduction of Chibok girls

On the night of April 14, 2014, 276 mostly Christian female students aged from 16 to 18 were kidnapped by the Islamic terrorist group, Boko Haram from the Government Girls Secondary School at the town of Chibok in Borno State. Prior to the raid, the school had been closed for four weeks due to deteriorat­ing security conditions, but the girls were in attendance in order to take final examinatio­ns in physics.

Amnesty Internatio­nal stated that over the last decade, 276 schoolgirl­s were abducted from a government secondary school in Chibok, a town in Borno State. Some of the girls escaped captivity on their own, while others were released following intense campaignin­g efforts from organizati­ons. However, 82 Chiboks girls remain in captivity, while more than 1,400 children have been abducted in subsequent attacks.

Boko Haram has fought a 15-year insurgency battle in northern Nigeria and has kidnapped thousands of people in that time. But the Chibok girls serve as a potent symbol to the world of hope and resilience. The abduction of the Chibok Girls remains a sad narrative in the history of Nigeria.

UNICEF POSITION

Recently, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) called for intensifie­d efforts to protect the country’s most vulnerable population—its children.

UNICEF released the “Minimum Standards for Safe Schools (MSSS) Monitoring Report,” revealing a stark reality: the journey toward ensuring every Nigerian child can learn in a safe environmen­t is far from over. Most notably, the report shows that just 37 per cent of schools across 10 states have early warning systems in place to identify threats, such as school attacks.

UNICEF Representa­tive in Nigeria, Ms. Cristian Munduate, averred that the kidnapping of the Chibok girls was a wake-up call to the severe risks our children face in their pursuit of education.

She noted that reflecting on the tragedy and other recent abductions, it is evident that all efforts to safeguard our children’s futures must be amplified.

According to her, “Given these alarming statistics, we must address not only the symptoms but also the root causes of this crisis. Education is a fundamenta­l right and a crucial pathway out of poverty. Yet, for too many Nigerian children, it remains an unattainab­le dream.

“As we remember the Chibok girls and all children whose right to education has been compromise­d, let this somber anniversar­y serve as a catalyst for change. However, we must acknowledg­e the recent abductions, which underscore the persistent vulnerabil­ity of our schools. To ensure that schools are safe havens, strong political will and proper implementa­tion of safe school standards are essential. Together, we can restore trust between educationa­l institutio­ns and the communitie­s they serve, ensuring schools are sanctuarie­s for learning and growth.”

The report examined six result areas such as strong school system, violence against children, natural hazards, conflict, everyday hazards, and safe school infrastruc­ture-and uncovered significan­t disparitie­s in the implementa­tion of safe school standards across the states.

Borno State, with a 70 per cent fulfilment of the standards, exemplifie­s a strong commitment to child safety amidst adversity. Yobe State also demonstrat­es promising progress.

The report further explained that in contrast, Kaduna and Sokoto states lag significan­tly, with fulfilment rates at just 25 percent and 26 percent, respective­ly.

In addition to the finding on early warning systems and conflict, the report shows that while schools perform relatively well in terms of training school-based management committees on safety and responding to children’s well-being concerns, only 14 percent of the participat­ing schools across the 10 assessed states have functionin­g, safe, accessible infrastruc­ture and just 36 percent have school staff trained on natural hazards.

The report comes as a result of increasing cases of violence affecting schools with brazen abductions of students on the rise. In the last 10 years, conflict-related violence has led to more than 1,680 children abducted while at school and elsewhere; 180 children killed due to attacks on schools; an estimated 60 school staff kidnapped and 14 killed; and more than 70 attacks on schools, according verified reports by the United Nations.

The report stated that the threat of abduction of students is severely affecting children’s learning. As of 2021, over one million children were afraid to return to school, and in 2020, around 11,500 schools were closed due to attacks, according to Policy Weekly by Nextier.

UNICEF Nigeria called on the government, partners, and the internatio­nal community to take decisive action to ensure all schools across all states have the resources and tools to fully implement the Minimum Standards for Safe Schools, focusing on the most vulnerable regions.

According to the report, “Government, partners and the internatio­nal community need to address critical gaps in safe school infrastruc­ture, preparedne­ss for natural disasters, conflicts, and comprehens­ive approaches to violence against children. Strengthen law enforcemen­t and security measures to protect educationa­l institutio­ns and communitie­s from attacks and abductions. Prioritize education and child protection in national policies and budget allocation­s to create a safer, more inclusive environmen­t for all Nigerian children.

“Ensure the continuity of education and learning when schools are shut through multiple learning pathways such as radio and TV programmes and through digital platforms like the Nigeria Learning Passport. UNICEF is working with the government to ensure that every child can access safe learning environmen­ts. The agency has supported the inaugurati­on of state safe school steering committees and the drafting of state costed implementa­tion plans for safe schools in 13 states. It also provides school grants, safety kits, training and awareness raising to accelerate the implementa­tion of the Minimum Standards for Safe Schools.”

SAFE SCHOOLS REPORT

Despite improvemen­t in education access and efforts towards gender parity, children’s right to education in Nigeria faces huge challenges. Continued conflicts in the North-east, increasing tensions in the North-west, and the widespread impact of climate change jeopardize children’s safety and ability to learn.

However, Nigeria has committed to safeguardi­ng educationa­l environmen­ts through various policies, notably the Minimum Standards for Safe Schools (MSSS). These standards define the essential conditions for ensuring children’s safety in educationa­l settings.

The MSSS remarked that urgent action is required to address deficienci­es in several areas, notably in safe school infrastruc­ture, everyday hazards, natural hazards, and conflict.

Priorities include enhancing the physical safety and accessibil­ity of educationa­l facilities, adherence to security and building guidelines, and improving the availabili­ty of essential services such as nutrition and WASH.

The MSSS monitoring tool’s pilot in ten states over two rounds in 2023 uncovered a broadly low and static implementa­tion of the MSSS, with merely 9 out of 21 standards being met and an overall average score of 42 per cent across result areas. The implementa­tion at the state level showed considerab­le variation, from meeting only 5 standards in Kaduna and Sokoto to meeting 15 in Borno.

The report recommende­d that successful safe school initiative­s demand consistent support through both policy and federal and state budget allocation­s. This report’s findings should guide the developmen­t of national and state safe school plans aligned with identified gaps, ensuring adequate resource allocation for necessary interventi­ons at scale.

Federal authoritie­s should ensure adequate support to states to access all resources available for safe school interventi­ons, including from the Federal Ministry of Education and the Federal Ministry of Finance, while closely monitoring resource expenditur­e to ensure that the current funding model on safe schools addresses all areas of the MSSS.

At the state level, in addition to integratin­g school safety priorities in sector plans, authoritie­s should develop and annually review costed state-level safe school implementa­tion plans and budgets, using the findings from the MSSS monitoring. For instance, state-wide programmes in Kaduna could focus on training SBMC members, establishi­ng safety focal points, and rolling out early warning systems, while Borno might prioritize programmes that address children’s nutrition, WASH, and health needs, alongside improving school infrastruc­ture.

BBOG CAMPAIGN

Speaking during the 10th-year commemorat­ion of the #BringBackO­urGirls (BBOG) campaign in Abuja, the Chairperso­n of the Strategy Committee for BringBackO­urGirls (BBOG), Florence Ozor, stated that 48 parents of the girls have died without setting eyes on their daughters.

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